Love To The Max
by Waldojeffers
Summary: Max Russo comes on board the S.S. Tipton thanks to his brother's award winning essay. On board he meets Cody Martin and falls almost instantly for him. Completed.
1. I Can't Get Him Out Of My Mind!

**Chapter 1: "I Can't Get Him Out Of My Mind!"

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Cody Martin…

Cody Martin…

Cody Martin…

This is crazy!

He's been haunting my thoughts ever since I've first met him. I've never been in love before, not like this.

Okay, there was Gigi who I had a crush on, but that was so long ago. Then there was Jeanette who really liked me, till Justin messed up my date with her. Well, maybe I kind of did that myself.

But I've never been in this deep before, head over heels in love. Since I first saw him my whole world feels like it's been turned upside down.

I've had my suspicions that I might be gay for some time now. But thinking of the boys at my school as cute is something totally different. Anyway, I doubt that being gay would do any good. And I've always heard it's just a phase every boy goes through. Being gay is not an easy thing, but it's a part of me I won't ignore.

It seemed crazy at the time but, instead of finding a girl, I found myself thinking about boys more and more. I might have even met a girl who I liked enough to be my girlfriend but in the long run it would have been a lie and unfair to both of us.

All the stress that came with figuring this out began to affect my everyday life. My grades dropped yet my family seemed to ignore me more and more. I guess failing to do your homework assignments only works to get attention if you're Alex Russo. But one advantage to being the odd man out and not being in trouble is I am still able to join my brother on the trip he won.

The Teen Cruise on the S.S. Tipton was a prize Justin had won from a contest. I thought maybe it would be the ideal moment to talk to him about my attraction for the same sex since Alex would be at home, but I should've known better and realized she would find a way to go on the cruise with us.

Now all three of us have to share this cabin, if you can call it a cabin, it's more like a place where they treat sick people. Or 'infirmary' as Justin puts it.

Alex again concocted another scheme by letting Harper take her place at school. Too bad for her they found out and now she has to take those lessons after all….

Okay, I admit it. It was kind of my fault they found out about Alex's scheme. If I hadn't been luggage cart racing with Zack, she wouldn't have had to rescue that girl. And I probably wouldn't have had to explain to Mr. Moseby, that Alex was Alex and not Ashley or Harper.

She didn't seem too happy about that because the next thing I knew she had pushed me into the hot tub. But I couldn't have cared less, because if she hadn't, I wouldn't have met him.

When I began to crawl out I reached for someone's hand and they helped me. At first I thought it might have been Alex feeling bad and trying to make amends, but when I looked up, I gazed into the most beautiful face I had ever seen.

Blond haired, blue eyed with a slight tan and a smile that could light up the room and for a moment my breath hitched in my throat and it was hard for me to speak. I don't know how it happened, but it was at that moment I was hit by cupid's arrow and yes, I Max Russo fell in love.

I had never seen him before, yet there was something familiar about his features. He kind of reminded me of Zack, but there was a difference in him; he had a delicate nature to him and a softer look.

He was so sweet and caring while he handed me a towel to wrap around myself so I wouldn't develop a cold from the wet clothes I was wearing.

I couldn't believe it, this boy was perfect, and an emotion I'd never felt before took over. I guess this is what love feels like.

"Hey Cody, what are you still doing here?" Zack asked him. "Weren't you desperately trying to get tickets for Hannah Montana?"

Cody? So, his name is Cody…

"Yeah, and I still am but this boy fell in the hot tub, so I thought he could use some help and a towel."

"My sister pushed me in," I added so he wouldn't think I was clumsy.

I melted when he turned to face me and our eyes connected, he had the sweetest look of understanding on his face, as if he really cared for me.

"I know how it feels…older siblings can drive you nuts sometimes. Isn't that right Zack?" He asked his big brother who shrugged his shoulders with a smirk.

Of course! It was then that I remembered who Cody was. Zack had talked about his twin brother a few times. But I never paid too much attention. How could I have known his twin would be the one to capture my heart?

"Listen guys, I should really go now. I really need to get Bailey those tickets so I can move out of the friend zone. Zack, can you take care of …I'm sorry what's your name?"

"Max. Max Russo."

"Oh your sister is in my Biology class." He said before leaving me with Zack. "Anyway, take care and maybe I'll see you around."

Since Zack was around I decided to ask him some questions. Cody Martin (which sounded like the most beautiful name I'd ever heard) was a bit of a know-it-all nerd according to his brother, but had a heart of gold.

I guess I could have told him that, after he helped me out of the hot tub. I've never seen anyone take the time to care about me like Cody did. I mean my own sister pushed me in, yet a complete stranger helped me out.

I also learned that my Cody seemed to be a little on the feminine side, which frankly confused me. And I spent the next few minutes trying to figure out what his meaning was, and wasn't able to. I zoomed back in to hear him telling me about Cody doing everything in his power to get some guy named Bailey free tickets to Hannah Montana.

I thought that Bailey was a guy even though I wasn't completely sure. But my gaydar had informed me Cody would be someone who liked boys. Or was that just wishful thinking? Either way I thought it was sweet of him to try and get his friend those tickets. He really seems like the type to go out of his way to make a friend happy.

Unfortunately Zack became bored with talking about his twin and asked instead for a rematch, seeing as we were still even after the luggage car race. Frankly he was right, but I just wasn't into it. My mind was now filled with thoughts of his baby brother and the last words he had told me. So I bowed out and told him I needed to head back to my cabin.

And that's where I am now, still thinking about Cody. I can't get him out of my head, come to think of it, maybe I don't want to. Maybe I just want him.

But I have a problem. He and I are a bit different in certain respects. Except for the obvious fact that I'm a wizard and he's not, Cody is apparently a genius. I'm really not that smart, or so I've heard and I've always thought smart people only wanted to date smart people.

So then why would he consider someone like me, a guy who can't even spell his name right, and is still confused by the 'Put name here' question on exams. Still not sure if it's M-A-C-K-S or M-A-X?

I need to find a way to impress him if I want him to be my boyfriend, especially if he's after this Bailey. I wish I could find a way to show him that I am indeed smart; after all I did get a better grade than Alex on the wizard report card. But that would be inconsequential to a non-wizard I'm afraid.

Why does the name Bailey sound so familiar by the way? I can recall Alex mentioning him before on this ship. But I can't place the person. Anyway, Bailey or no Bailey, I need to impress Cody, and I need to do it without magic.

Yes, you heard me right, no magic: I'm actually going to listen to my parents for once. Yah, I can't believe it either, but something about Cody makes me not want to use magic to win him over. I want to win him over fair and square.

A few weeks ago I wasn't even sure I was gay. I was hoping it was just a phase. And look at me now, madly in love with a boy I've only seen once for a minute or so.

At least this confirmed what a part of me has always known to be true, that I'm totally gay, and it feels like a burden just fell off my shoulders. I would have to be crazy not to admit it to myself.

I have never felt this way before. Actually, if being in love feels like this, I don't believe I've ever been in love at all. The only thing I can think of is Cody and he is probably more into intellectual guys like Justin. Justin, that's it, maybe he'll know what to do?

He has had some experience with dating and impressing girls, even though it probably doesn't take that much to get a date with a werewolf or a centaur. But he is my older brother and should know what to do…

I hope Justin will listen to me for once.

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_**Author's Note: **__And yes, we've reached the end of the first chapter of this story. I like to add as well Suite Life On Deck as Wizards On Waverly Place, and their characters belong to Disney. _

_This is posted in Suite Life forum instead of the crossover, cause it focuses on what happens on the S.S. Tipton. Look at it as a crossover who is more like an episode of SLOD. That's why it's here of course. :)_

_I like to thank Woundedhearts for editing this chapter, Lodylodylody for starting with her Strange Love Collection: without that I wouldn't have thought of this and Elianna22 who gave me some fine ideas we will see later here._

_I hope all of you will enjoy this story and will review. Reviews are very much appreciated by every writer. The next chapter would be there around next week._


	2. A Brother and A Friend

**Chapter 2: A Brother and A Friend

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What is taking Justin so long? I thought he'd go straight back to our cabin right after he got dumped by London. That's how Justin is. He always thinks it's his fault when he gets dumped. He'd probably blame himself, even if he was the one who did the dumping. Which has never happened, of course.

Finally I see someone opening the door to our cabin. Hoping it's Justin, I go to the door.

"Why is everyone on this ship so damn stupid?" I hear Justin complain, just before he almost bumps into me.

"Oh, hi, Max."

Boy, Justin is acting weird. He just runs in here and calls me dumb. At the exact same time that I need him to be smart and understanding.

"Wait a minute, did you just call me dumb?"

"What?" he asks, confused. "No, of course not."

That's a relief. Now, on to more important things. Like telling him about my sexual orientation, for example. I don't know if it will be the right thing to do, but I'm going to act like it's no big deal for me. Maybe then Justin won't make it into a big thing. I'm comfortable with being gay; shouldn't that be enough for him?

"What are you doing here anyway? I thought you were racing against that guy Zack?"

"Yeah, I was. He's a really fun guy," I answer him, though I'm not actually thinking about Zack or the luggage cart racing. No, my thoughts are dwelling on the other twin. The one that has captured my heart. When I close my eyes, I can still see him standing next to me smiling at me. But when I open them again, it's just Justin standing there. Making me realize why I'm here.

"But I wanted to talk to you," I continue. "Actually, I kind of need some advice."

"Makes sense, since I'm the only smart, responsible one in this family."

And there he goes again… Yeah, I like Justin, being my brother and all. But when he acts like this, he kind of annoys me. Well, that's what you get for asking advice from a know-it-all like my brother.

Anyhow, this is it: I take a deep breath and say, "I think I've fallen in love with someone here."

"You're in love? That's…"

He stopped pretty abruptly there, but I have a feeling I know what Justin wanted to say. Something like how sweet it is that his little brother has fallen in love. You know, the kind of stuff parents say when you tell them about your first girlfriend. Or boyfriend, as the case may be.

"Yeah, there is this special someone I've met, who's really nice, the most beautiful person I've ever seen, and I think I've fallen in love and want to spend my the rest of my life with this person."

And yet again describing Cody has me almost drooling over the image of him that appears automatically in my mind. Luckily Justin doesn't pick up on that. He's too busy playing the proud big brother.

On to my real problem now: impressing Cody. "Problem is that he's a really smart guy, and I'm… well not. So, I really need your advice on how to impress him."

Justin's eyes pop. "Whoa there! He? Guy? Him?" he exclaims. "Max, are you gay?"

He went from proud to shocked awfully fast, I must say. I find myself trying to assess the look he has on his face, but I can't seem to read it. I can see shock, but nothing more. No sign of acceptance, yet no disgust, either. I really want to know what Justin is thinking. He's the first person I've told about being gay. If he takes it badly, I think I'd better leave.

"I guess so… Look, if you don't like it, then I'm out of here, OK?" I mumble, staring at the floor.

"No, it's OK. Really Max, it's OK. I was just a little surprised. That's all." Justin gives me a smile.

"Alright."

Sweet! My brother is accepting me for who I am! I guess I was right to think that being gay wouldn't be an issue for my family, as long as I'm comfortable with it.

"Look, he's really smart. And I'm afraid he won't be into me since I'm not that smart, You're smart, can't you think of something? Please, Justin, please?"

I think Justin is finally starting to understand how I feel about Cody, 'cause the look on his face shows that he cares. Or maybe he is just in parent mode again and is about to say something like "Awww, how sweet."

"Max, you don't have to worry about that. You just need to be yourself with him. OK, it's true you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but you're a fun guy with a great sense of humour. Any girl or guy will see that about you. You don't need to act any differently from who you are. Just talk to this boy and be yourself."

That's something I wasn't expecting to hear. Justin actually thinks I have enough to offer Cody. Maybe he's right. But on the other hand, I can't screw up with Cody, I just can't!

"You really think so?" I'm almost pleading now.

"Sure, I do, little brother. Just go talk to the boy and be yourself."

It's really touching how much he believes in me. If Justin believes I can win Cody over just by being myself, I guess I can. It's time to take that chance and just go talk to Cody.

"Oh, and don't use magic, will you? You know we aren't allowed to," Justin adds when I'm already at the door.

"Yeah yeah yeah…" I answer, because I've already decided this myself. Cody is too special for me to just use magic to win his heart.

"Max?"

"What now? I already said I won't use magic." Now Justin is starting to irritate me. I want to go find Cody already!

"Who is this boy you're this crazy about?"

"Cody Martin," I tell him before I close the door behind me. I get lost in another daydream just from saying his name out loud. Damn, I've got it bad!

Well, over to Cody's cabin now, before I chicken out… Isn't this strange? I used to be the one who had no fears at all. I'm the one who would pick a fight with real zombies without thinking of the consequences. But now I'm afraid of what might happen when I tell Cody how I feel about him. As I make my way to his cabin door, every possible worst case scenario plays through my head.

Until I'm actually standing at the door. Now I'm even more nervous. What if he rejects me? What if he has something against gays? This is stupid! I knock on the door, wait till I hear someone say, "come in" and enter his cabin.

When I step inside, I see Cody sitting on his bed, head buried in his arms and crying. His brother is sitting next to him, obviously trying to comfort him. As I stand there, looking at the twins, I start to feel a bit sad myself. That's my boy who's crying!

"Oh, hey Max, what's up?" Zack asks me finally.

"I… I wanted to… What's wrong with Cody?"

"He couldn't get those Hannah Montana tickets for Bailey."

"Oh yeah, I remember he was trying to get them." I walk over to Cody and sit next to him. "But that's no reason to be so upset."

"Yeah, but Holden did get tickets. And now he's taking Bailey to the concert," Zack explains.

"Who's Holden?" I ask curiously.

"Some dude on the ship here who's been crushing on Bailey for ages. Just like Cody here, but unlike my oversensitive brother, he actually has a chance with her now."

"I did have a chance! If I'd gotten her those tickets, we would have been…" Cody manages to say before he falls into another fit of weeping.

Hearing both of them say those things puts me on the verge of crying myself. Bailey is a girl! Cody is not into boys at all, he's straight! My unfailing gaydar seems to have failed me for the first time ever. I guess I don't have a chance with him after all, despite Justin's faith in me.

Zack seems to have picked up on my distress, because he asks me, "Max? What's with you? You're not going to cry too, are you?"

"Me? No, of course not. I just feel bad for Cody," I manage to answer him.

"Really? Maybe you can stay with him then?"

"What? Why?"

"I kind of have a date tonight, but I can't let Cody sit here by himself, bawling his eyes out. Why don't you hang out with him?" Zack looks anxiously at me. I can tell he's in a hurry to leave.

Look, I know I probably have no chance with Cody anymore, but I just can't abandon him in his broken-hearted state, can I? At least this is an opportunity to spend some time alone with him.

"I guess I could do that," I reply, trying to sound casual.

Zack shakes my hand, then runs out of the cabin. Seems he can't wait to get to his date.

Now I'm finally alone with Cody and again I'm a nervous wreck. All I can think of is putting my arm around him to comfort him. And trying to find out why he's so emotional over Bailey's date with Holden.

"Come on, Cody. You wanna talk about it? I can be a good listener."

"No offence, Max. You're very sweet and all, but I'd rather not. It's enough that Zack knows what a loser I am," Cody replies, burying his head in his arms again.

Of course, Cody is not a loser to me, and I want to tell him that. But instead of that I say, "Why are bananas never pink? I mean they're yellow or green, but never pink."

"What did you just say?" Cody stares at me. "Here I am trying to get over Bailey kissing Holden and you talk about pink bananas?"

"That Holden dude kissed your girlfriend? That's harsh, man," I said, pleased that my random thing has worked once again.

"Well, she wasn't really my girlfriend. I had a six-month plan to win her over, it's obvious she's perfect for me."

Not exactly what I wanted to hear. "So what happened today?"

"She really wanted Hannah Montana tickets. I thought I could get them for her since I kind of know Hannah Montana from the Tipton Hotel. But apparently she didn't remember me at all. Thus ruining my chances to get out of the friend zone with Bailey."

"She was mad you didn't get her these tickets?"

"No, she was actually OK with it and we were almost hugging. Until Holden arrived, saying he had an extra ticket. Bailey immediately ran over to him and she even kissed him."

"That must have hurt," I tell him, fully understanding how much it hurts to know the one you love is out of your reach.

Cody shakes his head. "You know, I've been stupid. For a whole year I've had a crush on her, and the whole time Zack kept telling me it was hopeless. We wouldn't get together if we were the last two people on earth, he said. I guess he was right. Bailey and I are just not meant to be."

"I don't know. I guess you shouldn't give up. Maybe she is the right one for you after all," I say to him. Why am I telling him this? Well, at least I'm trying to be a good friend, and being Cody's friend is better than nothing.

"Thanks, but I think the ship called Bailey has sailed. I'd better move on. Thanks for listening to me, Max. I can't believe you're hanging around here while you could be having fun on the teen cruise."

Actually, sitting here with him is fun for me, but I guess I can't say that.

"And I don't even know that much about you. What's your story, Max?" Cody asks me and I notice he's smiling for the first time since I got here.

"Well, I live in New York, above a sub shop. I'm the youngest of three kids. You've met my brother and sister already, I guess?"

"Yeah, Alex is in Biology with me now and I think I saw your brother talking to London earlier. I guess it's not easy being the youngest?"

"You got me there. It's really no fun. Alex and Justin ignore me all the time. Sometimes it's like I don't even exist at home. It's always Justin this or Alex that. Never Max this or Max that."

Cody nods understandingly. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Zack is like that, too, he hardly ever listens to me, and doesn't care when he hurts my feelings. And he uses me for all of his schemes." As he talks, I see a caring look on Cody's face as if he's truly sharing my feelings.

"That's just like Alex! And Dad's the same. He doesn't pay much attention to me, either. I sometimes think he wishes he'd had only Justin and Alex." I've never told anyone this before, but as the words come out, I realize they're the truth. I'm sick of my family treating me like I'm invisible.

"That's so sad! It's a shame they ignore you like that. I guess you feel pretty neglected?"

I just nod, because it seems Cody really understands my situation and my need for attention.

"What about your mom?" Cody asks. "Does she ignore you, too? I can't imagine any mom doing that, actually."

"Not really no," I admit. "Mom is always calling me her baby …"

"I get that from my mom, too. I'm the baby and the sensitive one, while Zack is the tough older brother. But we're twins! And he's the one who couldn't let mom go when we got on the ship!"

That's funny, I can't really imagine Zack hanging on to his mother. But boy, I would have loved to see that. I'm pretty surprised that Cody feels the same way as me about being a little brother. Having older siblings can be a burden.

"But hey, your brother is fun, too," I point out. "We did some crazy stuff together here."

"You're right. Zack can be a real fun guy. You guys were pretty funny earlier today. Although that luggage cart race did cost you a dry outfit," Cody replies, laughing.

"Thanks for reminding me…" I say, pretending to be mad at him. Except I'm not, of course, since that's how I ended up meeting him.

Reliving that incident makes me remember how much I love this boy here. And how desperately I want him to be my boyfriend. Even now that I know he's straight, I just can't get him out of my mind. On the other hand, I think I owe him at least the truth about my sexual orientation, though I know for sure I don't have a chance with him.

"I don't know how to put this, but there is something else you should know about me, Cody."

"What's that, Max?"

"I'm gay," I answer simply, while my heart is pounding in my chest. Confessing this to my dream boy has quite a different effect on me than when I confessed to Justin. This is far more intense, far more important to me. How is he going to react?

"Um, that's quite a surprise, actually. Too bad…" he says, with a strange look on his face.

"Too bad!? What do you mean? You have something against gays?" I exclaim, back to being on the verge of crying. This reaction is worse than I had expected.

"God no, of course not. Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. Quite the opposite, I'm really honoured you trust me enough to share this with me. What I meant is, it's too bad girls are going to be deprived of such a cute, funny guy."

Cute? Did he just call me cute? He probably just said that to make me feel better, didn't he? I mean, he likes Bailey, he can't think I'm cute, can he? But when I look at him, I can see the same look on his face as the one that must be on mine: a look of confusion.

"Um, thanks. You're cute too, Cody. In fact, you're the cutest boy I've ever seen. You're so sweet and so hot, and…"

Damn, am I really saying this out loud? Just for once, could I not say what's on my mind? I just wanted to thank him for being so nice. Now he's looking weirdly at me, and he's blushing.

"Max, are you in love with me?"

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**_Author's Notes: _**_This leaves us, and especially Max, with an anxious feeling for what is about to happen What will Cody say when Max does confess his major crush? _

_I hope you all are enjoying this story so far. Cause I know I am. And I hope many of you readers will leave me a review; that's so important for writers. So please take this opportunity!_

_This chapter also marks an important change in the writing process. So far the amazing woundedhearts has been editing my stuff, but starting from this chapter this story will be edited by the also amazing Elianna22. So I would like to thank woundedhearts for the work she's done with chapter 1. And of course I like to thank Elianna22 for picking up the editing job and doing a great job with this chapter already._


	3. Do You Really Like Me?

**Chapter 3****: "Do You Really Like Me?"

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Oh my god! Did Cody really just ask if I was in love with him? Yes! A thousand times yes!

But can I actually tell him that? It's true, he accepted my sexual orientation pretty easily, and he even called me cute! And he has been nothing but sweet toward me. Then again, he was blushing when he asked if I loved him. Like he was embarrassed or in an awkward situation. And frankly I don't think straight guys like it when a gay boy crushes on them. This could even ruin my chances of being a good friend to Cody.

Again I'm a nervous wreck, covered in sweat, quivering with angst. God, I love him so much! But now I don't know what to say.

"No… I mean… Don't chihuahuas have freakishly large ears? I mean compared to their little bodies, they're like massive," I blurt out, not able to look Cody in the eyes.

"I know, Zack told me that before. Years ago," Cody answers. There's a strange tone in his voice.

"You guys had a chihuahua at the hotel?"

"No, we didn't," Cody replies, while he places himself closer to me. "Max, can't you see this is crazy? It's so obvious you have at least some feelings for me. You don't have to try to talk yourself out of it with stupid random talk. Just admit it, are you in love with me?"

I sigh again, and finally look up at the boy sitting next to me. Cody has such a sweet, caring look on his face. How could I ever think he wouldn't accept me for who I am?

I guess this is it. The moment I reveal my crush on him. I'd rather not do this yet, but what choice do I have? I've told him too much, he probably already knows how I feel about him. And on top of everything else: this cruise is so short! In a few days I will be gone, back to New York, and will never see Cody again. Thinking about that almost makes me cry. It has to happen now, I have to be honest with Cody and totally open up my heart to him – even if I end up getting hurt.

"Yes, it's true," I finally manage to say, my whole body shaking again.

But then Cody surprises me with a move I didn't expect from him. He puts his arms around me and gives me a hug. I can't believe this, Cody hugging me? Is there a chance he _does_ feel the same way about me?

"Cody?" I ask him, not wanting this moment to end but knowing it can't last forever.

"You looked like you could use a hug, Max. This must be hard for you, so I figured you needed some support," he says, patting my shoulder.

Wow, could he be any sweeter? This must be as awkward for him as it is for me, but still Cody puts my feelings first.

"Thanks, that means a lot to me. You really are the sweetest guy I've ever met. You've done nothing but take care of me. And we've only known each other for like a day or so. I can't believe I've met someone like you, Cody. You are so perfect. So sweet and so hot!"

"Wait, you really think I'm hot?" Cody asks me. A strange, confused look shows on his face.

"Yeah, I do," I reply, sighing 'cause I'm afraid this might make him dislike me as a friend. "Cody, from the moment I first saw you, I fell in love with you. And I fell hard. For the past day, you're all that has been going through my mind. You're the only one for me, all I want is to be with you. I love you with all my heart, Cody. And I'm so sorry for that, I know you want Bailey, not me."

"Wow, Max. I didn't know you liked me that much." Cody looks down at the bed we're sitting on. "Well, don't worry about Bailey. That's all over."

I guess that's supposed to make me feel better, but guess what? It doesn't work.

I just confessed to Cody that I have a huge crush on him. Why did I have to do that? It will ruin any chance of a friendship, for sure. He seems to be as confused about this as I am, 'cause now he's shaking all over, too. Or maybe he is creeped out by me and is trying to think of a way to get rid of me.

Somehow I didn't notice him move even closer to me, so close our knees are touching.

Then suddenly we are kissing. I have no idea if I made the first move or if he was the one who leaned in toward me. But we're kissing! Not just a kiss on the cheek or a small kiss on the lips. No, a real kiss, my first kiss. And it's awesome, 'cause it's with my dream boy.

Too bad my conscience takes over and makes me realize what I'm doing. This is so wrong! I just kissed a complete straight boy because I have a huge crush on him. He's going to freak out! As soon as I realize this, I pull away from him and get up from the bed.

I know the best thing I can do now is leave and never go near Cody again. But when I look at him, I know I just can't do that. I can't leave him here like that, without any apology. I must have upset him even more than Bailey did. And of course I still want Cody in my life, even if it's just as a friend.

"Oh god… I'm so sorry, Cody. I didn't mean to do that. I'm so sorry! You must hate me now!" I say while I'm trying to leave. But I can't. Something inside me is stopping me from leaving. I don't know why, but my body is reacting against my will to stay away from Cody forever.

"That's not true, Max. I don't hate you," Cody assures me. "Why would you even think that?. Really, it's alright. I didn't mind."

I don't think I can believe him. He's just trying to be nice to me. That's who he is, always thinking of other people. I, on the other hand, know what he really must be thinking.

"You can be honest with me. I know you're disgusted by me," I exclaim, while tears fill my eyes. "Who wouldn't be if some pathetic fag like me tries to kiss you?"

Once again I try to leave his cabin, but once again I am stopped. Only this time it's by Cody as well, not just me. Cody pulls me back to the bed where we've been sitting. He takes my hands in his and looks at me with an oddly confident expression on his face.

"I told you, I didn't mind. I don't want you to leave me for that, Max," he says, his eyes locking into mine for the first time since our accidental kiss.

Again I see nothing but caring in his eyes. Yet I still can't believe he's not mad at me. And I certainly can't believe what he's doing now. He's leaning into me like he's going to kiss me again. I think I should probably move away, but again my body doesn't listen to my mind. When his lips touch mine for the second time, my mind agrees with my body and gives in to enjoy another amazing kiss with my dream boy.

This kiss is even better than the first one. People say you will always remember your first kiss, but honestly I think this second one has already made me forget about the first. Because now I'm feeling more. I can sense that Cody actually does care about me, maybe even likes me for real. I can't wrap my mind around it, but the passion in this kiss is coming from more than just a simple desire to be caring and understanding.

It looks like neither he nor I want to stop our kiss. But eventually we'll have to talk this over, so I decide to break off and ask Cody the obvious question.

Anxiously, I ask, "Cody, do you like me? Like I like you?"

Instead of answering, he just looks down and plays with some paper from a pile on the desk. Now he seems to be just as nervous as I was earlier. I guess it's my turn to comfort him, so I take hold of his hands and look directly in his eyes, using my best puppy eyes in the hopes they might have an effect on him.

We sit there like that for five minutes, until he finally seems to find the courage to speak up and answer me.

"Yes… Yes, Max, I think I do really like you," he says, then gives me a small kiss on the lips.

"You know, usually I wouldn't act like this. I would take things slowly, like I tried to do with Bailey. I'm the guy who never rushes into things. But after what happened with Bailey, I realize that's not the best thing to do. Actually, it was Zack who told me to take a walk on the wild side for a change. To go with my feelings for once." Cody sighs as he explains this to me.

"And then you came along, the cutest person I've ever met. Seriously, Max, to me you were cuter and hotter than Bailey from the moment on I saw you. And you've already showed me how much you care for me, and you love me! You've said things about me that nobody has ever said before. You make me feel like I don't need to change, that I'm fine just the way I am. That means so much to me, Max, more than you know." He starts to hug me. A gesture I return of course

"Just hearing you say these things makes me realize I want to get to know you better. I don't know how, and I don't know why, but I think I'm starting to fall for you. Maybe this means I'm gay, too, but I don't even know for sure. I just know that this is my chance to follow Zack's advice and just jump in. A chance to be with someone I feel totally comfortable with, who accepts me for me," he says, tears forming in his eyes.

Finally I'm starting to understand why Cody has been acting the way he has for the last couple of hours. For a guy who usually never jumps into anything and has a six-month plan to get a girl, discovering that he has feelings for another guy must be very complicated. Just explaining his feelings to me must be incredibly difficult.

But I don't have to worry too much. Cody said he wants to be with me, he really did!

Suddenly I remember he's just been dumped. I have to know if he really wants to go through with this or if he's just on the rebound from Bailey. I need to know that he's being honest with me. Does he like me for real, or is he just happy that somebody likes him now that Bailey is with Holden? Or is he feeling sorry for me with my big huge crush? His eyes tell me he does like me. But am I really his guy? Being the rebound-guy isn't enough for me. I've given him my whole heart, after all.

"Cody, I'm sorry but I have to ask this. Are you sure? Do you really want to go through with this, with me? Or am I just your rebound-guy?"

I sigh, afraid he'll chicken out and decide he's not prepared to take the big step with me. But instead of doing that he pulls me into a hug and kisses my lips.

"No, Max, you are not my rebound-guy, you are _the_ guy. Everybody will call me nuts, but I don't care. I want to see where this goes," Cody assures me.

"So, I guess we're boyfriends now?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what we are," he replies. "And you know what, just saying that makes me really happy."

"Yah, me too," I say. I want to tell him that he's my one true love, that I already know this, but I don't want to scare him away. Just being my boyfriend is a major step for him, it's more than I hoped for when I found out about his feelings for Bailey. All of a sudden I remember my conversation with Justin and my fears about my intelligence. "But doesn't it bother you I'm not exactly what you'd call smart? I always thought smart people only want to date smart people."

"Not all smart people are jerks, you know," he replies, laughing. "But why would that bother me? I'd love to help you out with schoolwork. I do that for Zack, so why wouldn't I do the same for my boyfriend?"

I look down at my feet with another sigh. How ridiculously afraid have I been? Cody accepts me for who I am, just as I accept him.

"Only… I think you're not completely honest with yourself. I've seen you acting a lot smarter than how Zack described you to me."

"You asked Zack about me? That's so funny, I did the same thing!" I reply, laughing at the discovery that we both asked his twin about each other. "But I have no idea what you mean. I'm just not smart."

"I think you do, Maxie. I think you're acting this way, because of your situation at home. You're being ignored there, so you think you can get more attention by acting like that. Isn't that right?"

This is odd, being told by someone else how I feel. It's true, though: I am sick of being treated like I don't exist at home. And I realize Cody is right. I have been acting stupid to get attention.

Realizing this brings me to the brink of tears again. I try to fight them, but Cody seems to notice them anyway 'cause soon he is hugging me.

"Hey, don't you cry. I'm here for you." Cody tells me while he's giving me small kisses.

I sigh happily. Because I know there's someone on my side, someone who truly believes in me. Although once again the same fear races through my mind. Does Cody really care for me, or is he just being a nice guy? I blink my eyes for a second and see that his sweet, honest gaze is still there, and I know once and for all that he's not mistakenly leading me on.

We have been staring at each other for some time, when I suddenly remember another pretty important thing about myself. I am a wizard and Cody is not. Should I share this secret with him? I think I should. After all, isn't that what boyfriends do? I'm not sure if he'll believe me, being into science and all. But I believe it's best for us that I'm completely honest. He would do the same thing if he were the wizard and I were the mortal boy.

"Cody, there is something you need to know about me."

"What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything," he replies, looking at me with confusion.

"You probably won't believe it, but I'm a wizard, Cody."

"You're a what?!" he exclaims, looking at me like I'm a crocodile who's just crawled into his cabin with its teeth bared.

"A wizard. Me, Justin and Alex are wizards. Just like our dad once, but he gave up his powers to marry Mom."

"No no… I can't believe that. There is no such thing as magic. That's just not possible… I mean there's science… But wizards, magic? That can't be."

"I'm so sorry to lay this on you, Cody. But it's true. I really am a wizard," I try to convince him as I pull out my wand. "I'll show you. This here is my wand. It's an E-Wand, actually."

Poor Cody. He really looks devastated now. Like I just destroyed every faith he had in science.

"Oh my… You really are serious about this. Nice wand, by the way," he manages to say. "What am I saying? A wand? And you really are a wizard? This can't be true!"

"I'll show you. Take my hand and don't lose your grip," I tell Cody before I wave my wand around and say a spell that transports us right to the Sky Deck. An empty Sky Deck, by the way. Not bad though, since this creates a more romantic atmosphere.

"Are you alright, Cody? Your first time travelling via wand can be a little weird and may make you feel dizzy. I probably should have said that before."

"Yeah, you should have," he says, looking around. "Whoa! We're on the Sky Deck? How did we get here?"

"Magic, Cody. A transport spell, my wand and my powers," I tell him. I wave my wand again and make a bouquet of flowers appear. "I know you usually give flowers to a girl, but I guess my special guy deserves them, too. Do you believe I'm a wizard now?"

"Max! That's so sweet of you, I really love flowers," Cody says, then gives me a small kiss. Somehow that small kiss turns into a very passionate kiss.

After making out like that for a pretty long time, Cody is the first to step back and look me in the eyes. "Yes Max, I do believe you. I guess I have to accept that my boyfriend is a wizard, how unbelievable that seems."

"Thanks Cody. That really means a lot me," I say, feeling relieved that he believes me. "Although it's possible I might not even be a wizard anymore sometime soon."

"Why? Can you lose your wizarding power or something?" Cody asks, throwing me another confused look. "I still can't believe I'm having this conversation!"

"I'll explain it to you. In every wizard family, there can be only one wizard, the Family Wizard. And he gets the Family Powers. Since there are three of us at home, we have to do the Wizard Competition."

"So, you have to compete against your brother and sister?"

I nod. "Exactly, when we reach a certain age and have finished our training. Only one of us can win and become Family Wizard. The other two will lose all their magical powers."

"That's harsh. Losing everything you've worked for so many years," Cody says. Turning to me he adds, "And how are you doing so far? I mean, you have to win, Max!"

Oh, that's so sweet! Cody is even there to support me with something he didn't believe in a few minutes ago.

"Not that good, actually. I'm way behind 'cause I'm the youngest. And of course not the smartest either," I sigh.

"Don't you say that, Maxie. You're a lot smarter than most people think!" Cody assures me again.

"Maybe, but I did get a C on my latest wizard report card, while Alex got an F."

"You see? I'm sure you can beat Alex and Justin in this wizard competition! And I'm going to help you with that. Well, as much as I can, of course."

"You are? Oh Cody, that's so sweet of you! I'm sure you can help me with memorizing the spells," I reply. "Or I can use them on you."

Funny, he's turning red all over. Like I ever would try doing that with my boyfriend. He's too important to me. And I think he realizes that now, too, because his normal colour is returning.

"Sorry, just kidding."

"Yeah, figured as much. You did scare me for a moment, though," he says, while shaking his fist, pretending he's angry. "But hey, it's getting late and we should get to our cabins before Moseby catches us here."

"I guess you're right. Can I have a goodnight kiss first, Cody?" I ask him, using my puppy dog eyes on him. He doesn't even answer, just starts kissing me immediately. Such a wonderful feeling, his lips on mine, our tongues fighting… I'll never get tired of this.

"Hey Maxie, I want to introduce you to Zack tomorrow. As my boyfriend. Are you OK with that?" Cody asks, now using his own irresistible puppy dog eyes on me. "And maybe I can meet your brother and sister, too?"

"That would be great! The three of us are having lunch at the restaurant tomorrow. I can introduce you then!" I exclaim very enthusiastically, because this definitely means Cody is taking our relationship seriously.

"Awesome! See you tomorrow, Maxie!" Cody says before he heads to his cabin, carrying the flowers I gave him.

Too bad his cabin isn't exactly close to mine, so I have to walk back alone. Which gives me time to think about how strange but wonderful today was. I think I felt every emotion today, from disappointment to sadness to happiness. But now I can honestly say I've never felt happier in my entire life.

When I enter our cabin, or infirmary actually, I see both Alex and Justin are not around. Odd, since like Cody said, we're supposed to be in our cabins at this hour. Then again, this is clearly something you'd expect from Alex. Not from Justin, though.

I walk over to my bed and I spot two notes on the pillow. I grab the first one and start reading it.

_Alex & Max,_

_I will be spending the night with a friend on the ship. Don't wait __up for me. Meet me at noon for lunch at the restaurant tomorrow._

_Justin._

That at least explains where Justin is. Now on to the other note, which is probably is from Alex.

_Max,_

_Since Justin is out, I think I have the right to go out too. I'll be at lunch tomorrow. Make sure you're there too!_

_Alex._

This seems like the same old song all over again. Alex and Justin are out having fun and I'm left all alone. But this time I don't care. I know someone does care for me. So I just turn out the lights, strip down to my boxers and get into my bed. As I drift into sleep, I dream about Cody, my boyfriend.

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_So Max did get what, or who actually, wanted. And apparently Cody seems to want the same as Max. Isn't love beautiful?_

_Next day our two boys want to out themselves as boyfriends to their siblings. I wonder how they'll react. Justin will already know, but what about Alex? Or Zack? In "A Magical Vacation" we already saw this phrase: "…very passionate kiss…causing some unknown blond boy, who looked very much like Cody, to gasp and watch with open mouth the young couple at the lunch table." That doesn't promise much good for Zack's reaction if you ask me?_

_I like to thank Elianna22 for editing this chapter again. She did a very good job. Without her it wouldn't have been this good! I also like to thank The Hurricane 13 for his review: a review that made me realize I needed to explain something about Max. Thanks to his review __ that's __ also included in this chapter. Last I like to thank all the readers and especially the reviewers. Thanks!_

_Please do review after reading, it's such an awesome reward for the authors.  
_


	4. Take A Walk On The Wild Side

**Chapter 4: Take A Walk On The Wild Side**

* * *

"Max…"

"Maxie?" I hear someone almost whispering my name. I guess it's Justin or Alex trying to wake me up. Since I'm not in the mood to get up yet, I turn away from the direction of the voice and pretend to be still asleep.

"Maxie?" The voice just won't stop. Can't my annoying sibling see I'm still asleep?

"Maxie…" This time the lips connected to the voice place a small kiss on my cheek. Wait, that can't be Justin or Alex, they wouldn't kiss me to wake me up. And they're not supposed to be here either come, to think of it. I finally realize whose voice I've been hearing and turn around to see his gentle face gazing at me.

"Cody, what are you doing here this early?"

"Waking you up, sweetie, and bringing you this," he says, holding out a tray with an extensive breakfast on it. Orange juice, croissants, toasts, eggs, pancakes, jam, hot chocolate, cheese, ham… everything you can imagine having for breakfast.

I look Cody in the eyes and ask him, "You made all of this for me?"

"Yah, I thought a breakfast in bed would be a nice way to celebrate our first day together," he says, while he sets the tray down on the bed. "Can you move over a bit?"

Of course I move over so Cody can position himself next to me. He takes a plate of gourmet breakfast fare and lays it down between us.

I've learned a few things from this delight. Cody can make a mean breakfast. I mean, this is by far the best breakfast I've ever had. Cody prepared it extremely well. Those eggs… I don't know how he made them but these are absolutely amazing! And those pancakes! I had no idea Cody was such a talented chef. Makes me wonder what he would do if he prepared lunch or dinner.

I have to admit it's not the food that makes this moment so special. It's being here with Cody and sharing this with him. More important, though, is that I got this from Cody. That must mean he really and truly likes me. I have to confess I didn't expect him to do such a sweet thing so soon. We only got together yesterday and yet he's already here surprising me with this amazing treat. I expected him to need some time to get accustomed to the idea of us as boyfriends.

Maybe I should have known he was actually serious about us when he suggested introducing me to his twin as his boyfriend. I guess that's the kind of guy Cody is: a bit afraid of taking a huge step but once he has, he's prepared to do whatever it takes to make something work, in this case, our relationship. Aren't I lucky this incredible guy wants to be my boyfriend? Did I mention how cute he looked when I first saw him after he woke me up?

I guess I've been thinking a bit too long. Not to mention, I've been gazing at him, too, because Cody has a strange look on his face when he asks, "Max, is something wrong? Don't like the food?"

"No, of course I like it a lot. I can't believe you did all this just for me."

"Why not? Max, you're my boyfriend! Isn't this what we're supposed to do? Surprise our boyfriends and do nice stuff for them?" Cody says, then gives me a small kiss on my forehead.

Come on, isn't this guy to die for?! I feel like the luckiest guy on the entire planet. I just hope Cody feels at least as lucky as I do.

Judging from the smile on his face, he definitely does.

Anyway, it's time to enjoy this marvellous breakfast instead of daydreaming and drooling. OK, obviously I'm failing because I catch myself staring into his eyes quite a lot. On the other hand, Cody is staring right back at me. What a sight we would make if anyone were to walk in, and see just the two of us gazing at each other with an almost untouched breakfast between us.

As we plow through the breakfast, Cody asks me, "Um, Maxie, could you maybe tell me about your magic stuff?"

"Sure, but I thought you maybe didn't want to know about it, since you didn't exactly believe in magic at first."

"I know… But since I'm going to help you win that contest, I guess should know something more," Cody tells me, clearly excited. "Besides… I'm dating a wizard! How cool is that? I just need to know how these things work!" And now he is getting overexcited. Who would have thought that? Yesterday he didn't believe me at first, and now he wants to know everything about magic. That's just so incredibly cute.

"I guess I can explain some of it to you, but it would be easier back at home in New York," I explain. "We have a kind of magic room where our dad teaches us spells and other magic stuff. I can show you all when you come visit me there. If you want to, of course."

"Yeah, of course… But can't you show me something now? I really want to know more, Maxie," Cody begs of me while pouting and using his irresistible puppy dog eyes again.

"I guess I can show you some magic again. But you have to promise me not to tell Justin or Alex. Because we're not really allowed to use it in front of non-wizards."

"Don't worry, sweetie. I won't tell anyone," Cody promises me happily, getting all excited again. "So, what can you do?"

"You're really unbelievable, Cody. I never would have imagined you being this enthusiast about magic. You're the best!"

Cute! That actually made him blush.

"Well, since I'm way behind in our wizard training, I'm not that good with functional magic like Justin is," I confess, feeling a hint of shame on my face. I'd really like to get better , but I keep screwing up all time. Instead of telling Cody this, I decide to focus on my best skills. After all, I do want to impress him.

"In fact, I do more fun magic stuff, like playing pranks on people. I can use a little handmagic to play a prank on someone, if you want?" I offer, even though I have a feeling Cody may not be the pranking type. "We can play a trick on Holden if you want."

Cody hesitates, then says, "No, that's OK. I don't care about Holden anymore. Why should I? We wouldn't be together if it wasn't for him." He takes hold of my hand and shows his sweetest smile ever. Needless to say I'm very moved by what he just said. I don't even know what to say.

"And besides, Zack just told me that Bailey already dumped Holden," he adds.

"Really? What happened?"

"According to Zack, Holden ate some bad shrimp last night and puked on Bailey. I have a feeling Zack had something to do with that."

"You think?"

"Yeah, the look on his face when he told me the news pretty much gave it away. I think he was trying to win Bailey back for me."

"That's so nice of him," I acknowledge. I guess Zack really does care about Cody's feelings. He could have fooled me with his disappearing act last night, though. "But he is a prankster, isn't he? Does he ever play pranks on you?"

Cody nods and rolls his eyes. "All the time. Why do you ask?"

"How about we prank your brother?" I suggest. "With a little handmagic, we can give him a taste of his own medicine." This could be really fun. Zack is a cool guy, but he deserves to be target of a practical joke for a change.

"I can live with that," Cody answers, giggling. "But don't hurt him, please. And what is handmagic actually?"

"Oh, it's kind of easy magic you can do without a wand. In fact I can only do levitate spells without my wand, but I'm sure we can manage to have some fun with that," I say, while I swallow the bite of croissant. "Where is your brother right now?"

"At the smoothie bar. He has a shift this morning and this afternoon, had to fill in for his coworker. Which reminds me, after lunch I have to work, too."

"You work here? I didn't know that."

"I'm the towel boy… Because Zack maxed out both our student credit cards."

"He did? That sucks. I guess it's payback time for him then," I chuckle, with my most evil smile.

I can sense Cody is getting more and more into my idea of using magic to play a prank on Zack. Can't blame my Cody, either. 'Cause the more stories he tells me about him and Zack, the more convinced I get that Zack pushes Cody around too much. Zack actually reminds me a bit of Alex. She torments Justin just the way Zack does with Cody.

Anyway, it's time for me to get dressed and head to the smoothie bar with Cody. Unbelievably, it's almost noon, so Zack's shift will be almost over. I guess Cody and I really did spend way too much time gazing at each other instead of eating breakfast.

Luckily Zack is still working and is busy serving a customer when we get to the Sky Deck. Which gives Cody and me the perfect opportunity to hide behind a plant and discuss our plan.

After some discussion we agree on what to do. It will be harmless, like Cody wanted, and will require some simple levitation by me. And, best of all, it will be funny as hell to prank the prankster for once!

As we walk over to the smoothie bar, Zack spots us and waves.

"Hey Max, I should thank you for taking care of Cody last night. He really looked like he was on cloud nine this morning. I don't know what you did or told him, but it worked."

Well, now it's my turn to blush. Did I really make Cody that happy?

"It's nothing, really. How was your date with that girl?" I ask him, remembering why he left us yesterday.

He shrugs. "I don't know… I thought Sarah and I were really hitting it off."

"Wasn't her name Tanya?" Cody cuts into our conversation.

"Whatever…" Zack replies, making it clear that this girl is no big deal to him.

"Anyway, Zack, can you get us two Banana Fofana smoothies, please?" Cody asks his twin.

I guess I'm up now. I motion Cody to pay attention as Zack starts to make the smoothies. As soon as he grabs the first banana, I wave my hand and the banana slides out of his hands. Zack seems surprised and tries again. I make let banana slip away again. And again and again…

After about five attempts, I let Zack finally get hold of the banana. Now it's time to make him really crazy and float the banana right up out his hands. This is fun! Zack is jumping around like a monkey. I look over at Cody and see he's cracking up.

Finally I think Zack has had enough, so I make the banana float in front of his face and make sure it stays there until he almost grabs it. For the last time I pull the fruit away from him with the intention of slowly putting it on the bar again. But that's not what happens. Zack's last jump makes him trip over another banana that was lying on the floor. As a result the older twin ends up with his head in the sink. Luckily he isn't hurt 'cause he gets up again pretty quickly. His head is all wet, though. Not quite what we meant to do, but hilarious nevertheless.

"Zack!? What on earth were you doing, dude?" Cody manages to say between fits of laughter.

"That banana… It was flying… Then another banana…"

"Flying fruit? Dude, you must be losing it," Cody says before bursting out in laughter again.

"Not funny Cody," he says with an irritated look on his face.

"It's pretty funny from here," Cody replies, teasing him a bit more. "Anyhow, Zack, Max here invited the both of us for lunch with his brother and sister on the Sky Deck. You coming?"

"Sure, but you know I have to work again after lunch. And so do you, I believe?"

"Ugh… Don't remind me! But we'll see you at lunch when you're done with your shift?"

"I'll be there, little bro," Zack says while he grabs a towel and starts drying his hair.

We take off for a short walk on deck, since it's almost lunchtime. Knowing how strict Justin is, he will be right on time. So we don't have that much time if one of us might want to change his mind about lunch.

"That was awesome, Max! The look on Zack's face was so funny!" Cody says, still laughing over Zack's encounter with the banana. "And you were great of course, Maxie. You really do know how to make your magic fun."

"Thanks, doesn't it feel good to get back at your twin for once?" I ask him, chuckling 'cause I know the answer obviously will be yes.

"You're right, feels good," he tells me. "But hey, he's not always a jerk, you know. Zack's just… Zack. Anyway, it's almost lunchtime, shall we?"

The time has come indeed. Oddly, I seem to keep losing track of time when talking to Cody. Nonetheless we turn around and walk back to the Sky Deck. Zack's shift must be over because I see someone else behind the smoothie bar. Looking around, I spot Justin and Alex sitting at a table. They seem to be bickering about something. No, there is absolutely nothing new under the sun when it comes to my brother and sister.

Before we walk over to them, I look Cody in the eyes and ask, "Are you sure you want to go through with this?"

"I'm sure, Maxie," Cody says and takes my hand in his. Proudly holding hands with my boyfriend, I walk over to their table. Before I look at my siblings, I catch a glimpse of Cody's face and notice he seems to be as proud as I am.

It's time to observe the reactions of my brother and sister now. 'Cause although I feel on top of the world holding hands with my sweetheart in public, I'm afraid many other people might have very different opinions on this matter. Justin seems to be OK with it, because he's giving me a thumbs up. It's just a small gesture, but coming from my big brother it actually boosts my confidence even more.

But when Cody and I sit down at a very silent table, I realize Alex is staring at the both of us with her mouth wide open. I guess she is kind of shocked that her little brother appears to be playing for the other team. She looks at me and Cody questioningly. I know we decided to wait with the big announcement until his twin is here too, but I just can't ignore Alex while she sits there in shock. . So I give her a few small nods, which she seems to understand.

And finally I see Zack arriving, too. Although he gets a smoothie first before he comes to sit with us. I take a deep breath and look Cody in the eyes. This is it, we're going to out ourselves as boyfriends and I can tell we're both nervous about this big step, even though we're certain about revealing our relationship. Cody nods and addresses his twin.

"Great you could make it, Zack. Means a lot to me. Thanks."

"Ah, you know me. What wouldn't I do for you?" the older twin answers with a quizzical look on his face.

"Yeah right…" Cody says, rolling his eyes. "Anyway, moving on… You've met Alex and Justin already, I think?"

"Yeah, I did," he answers, greeting my brother and sister and taking a large sip from his smoothie.

"Max you already know, of course… Well, he's my boyfriend now," Cody announces proudly, holding my hand very firmly.

As soon as Cody introduces me as his boyfriend, Zack spits out his smoothie in surprise. To my amusement, Zack spits right onto Justin, covering him in Banana Fofana. This causes both Alex and me to burst into laughter. I know, this isn't exactly a laughing matter. But boy, you should see Justin's face!

"Damn! Is there anytime this family can actually have a normal meal?" Justin exclaims. "Great guests you invited, Max. They'll fit right in with our family..."

"Oh come on, Justin. Loosen up a bit. Serves you for acting like a jerk earlier," Alex informs him. I have no idea what she means by that last remark, but I guess Justin was telling her off like always.

"Whatever… I'm out of here!"

"You better stay. Can't you see our little brother needs our support?" Alex orders him. In fact, I'm quite surprised to hear her say that. I was afraid Alex wouldn't take me being gay that well, but apparently she's fine with it.

My big brother seems to agree with her this time, though, because he just grabs a towel and tries to clean the smoothie of his face.

Anyway, it's clear now Justin will stay here, too, so I switch my attention back to Cody and his twin. The older twin still has the same look of shock on his face, the very one that caused him to cover Justin with a smoothie. Cody, on the other hand, is showing signs of despair and I squeeze his hand to show I'm here for him. My guy must be aware of that, because he glances at me for a millisecond with a smile before he turns his concentration back to his brother.

"Zack? Please, say something!"

But Zack still isn't able to say anything, I'm afraid. He's sitting there staring at Cody, and the silence is killing him.

"Please, Zack? You hate me now, don't you?" Cody stammers before tears brim in his eyes. All I can do is put my arms around my guy and try to comfort him, while I shoot flashes of lightning with my eyes at Zack. How can he be so judgmental toward his own twin?

Seeing his brother crying in my arms seems to make Zack realize what he is doing to Cody. "No! Of course not. Cody, I would never hate you," he implores. "You're my twin, how could I ever hate you? Cody?"

Hearing his brother plead like that must have touched Cody because he removes his head from my lap and looks Zack in the eyes.

"You really mean it, Zack?"

"Of course! You're still my little brother," he says and pulls Cody into a hug. I'm so relieved because Cody definitely needs a moment of brotherly love.

"But why didn't you just say something," Cody asks his brother when they break their hug.

"I'm so sorry, man. But I'm totally shocked by this. Yesterday you were bawling your eyes out because you had no chance with Bailey anymore. And now you tell me you have a boyfriend. That's a major change for you. To be honest, I can't really understand it."

"I listened to my older and wiser brother for once," Cody smirks. He's obviously feeling better again. "You told me to get out there, to take a walk on the wild side instead of building up a six-month plan."

"Yeah, I did say that, and I'm glad you've followed my advice. But I didn't say you should get it on with the first person you see."

"I didn't. Zack, Max loves me and he accepts me for who I am. He makes me feel comfortable," Cody explains to his brother. "And I really like him, too… Zack, I think I'm falling in love with Max."

"Are you sure about this?" Zack's eyes are practically popping from his head. "And does this mean you're gay now?"

"Definitely, I want to go through with Max," he replies, then turning to me and gives me a small kiss. "I don't know if I'm gay though. Maybe, probably… I just know Max is drop dead gorgeous and I want to be his boyfriend."

"That's gay in my book, Cody… But it doesn't matter to me. You're still the same brother I had yesterday," Zack says. "Just don't surprise me like that anymore."

Cody pulls him into another hug. Afterwards Zack turns to me and says, "Now I know why Cody was so happy this morning. I haven't seen him this happy in ages. Thanks again, Max."

"Like I said before, it's really nothing. I really love Cody, I want to see him happy more than anything else," I answer him.

"Don't let that change, and don't ever hurt my baby brother," Zack warns me, shaking his finger at me. His bold warning surprises me, but it's cute that he is such a good brother for Cody when he needs it.

"Don't worry, Zack. I won't."

"In that case, I can approve of your boyfriend, Cody. He's a funny guy, too, by the way. He's going to get you in so much trouble," Zack laughs, probably remembering the luggage cart accident.

"Geesh, Zack, thanks for your approval. It means a lot to me you accept me and Max," Cody says, taking hold of my hand again, and leans in for a kiss. I didn't expect him to be so forward in front of our family members, but there is no way I could ever resist those lips on mine.

After we break our kiss, I look around the table and see different reactions on everyone's face. Cody is giving me his sweet honest caring gaze again, Zack has a happy look on his face, Justin is giving me the proud-parent look again, but I can't read the expression on Alex's face.

It's probably just Alex being Alex since she already implied that she supports me, but I want to make sure both my brother and sister are okay with us. "Alex, Justin, can you accept Cody and me as a couple?"

Justin is the first to answer me. "Of course. I'm happy you managed to win over your guy. He seems like a great guy who really appreciates you. I guess he might be what you need."

"I never thought I would say this, but Justin is right, little brother," Alex agrees. "I guess the most important thing is that you're happy. It shouldn't matter if you prefer boys instead of girls. And by the way, Max," she adds, "you picked out a real cutie.".

That last comment has my Cody blushing again. But I've never agreed more with my sister. And I have to say I'm really touched by both Justin and Alex. I didn't expect them be okay with me and Cody this easily.

I guess it's time for the five of us to actually have lunch since that's why we're here for in the first place. Too bad it's just a quick lunch for both Cody and Zack, as they both have to work this afternoon. Before they leave for work, Cody and I share another passionate kiss, our second one since gaining acceptance from Justin, Alex and Zack.

As I watch Cody walk away, I think back to his sweet surprise this morning and get the feeling it's my turn to surprise him…

* * *

**_Author's Note: _**_I'm really getting better with cliffhangers, aren't I? Now this chapter contains quite some references to Suite Life and Wizards of Waverly Place. I wonder if readers see them actually. :)_

_First of all, I need to thank Elianna22 for betareading and editing. Another amazing job, as always of course! I also like to thank tiger002 for giving me an idea for a scene in this chapter. And I will thank all who reviewed my story, too. Thanks, I really appreciate it!_

_The title of this chapter was inspired by "Walk On The Wild Side" by Lou Reed from the in 1972 published album, Transformer.  
_


	5. It Must Be Love

**Chapter 5: It Must Be Love

* * *

**

_Happiness is something I never thought I'd feel again, but now I know  
It's you that I've been looking for  
And day by day more and more  
I know what you think, you've heard it before  
Don't tell me I know  
But this feeling inside my heart,  
You know I'm never letting go  
'Cos I think that..._

_It must be love, I'm feeling  
This must be love  
_

_Phil Collins, "This Must Be Love"_

---

"Max! Stop staring, will ya!"

I suddenly hear my brother yell at me and realize I just have been staring in the same direction Cody had disappeared ten minutes ago.

"Sorry Justin, I… I was…" I start to say.

"Dreaming about your boyfriend?" Alex fills in what I was trying to say.

"Yeah… sorry, guys."

"It's OK, Max. Love can do that to us men," Justin tells me like he is the most experienced guy around when it comes to love. Needless to say, that causes me to roll my eyes.

"Yeah right…" Alex says, being her sarcastic self again. "But Max, you really do have good taste when it comes to guys. Your Cody is a super-cute guy."

I don't think I have ever agreed more with anything my sister has said, so I just nod and smile, knowing Cody really is mine.

"So I wonder, are you actually going to tell Mom and Dad about your holiday fling, bro?" Alex asks. "I mean, they don't need to know yet if you're not ready," she adds.

Holiday fling?! Cody is not just a fling! He is my one true love, I know that for sure. I can't tell Justin and Alex that, though. That's something I don't even think Cody himself is ready to hear.

But I can't just go away from this ship and leave Cody behind, forgetting about him like he's the same kind of casual chick his twin always picks up. I just can't. Cody is too special to me already. Even though we've only been together for such a short time.

Alex's question, however harsh it may have been, makes me realize Cody and I need to talk about the near future. I'm not even sure if he knows I'm leaving in two days from now. Tomorrow Mom and Dad arrive on deck. I'll have to introduce Cody as my boyfriend to them, too. I hope they will be as accepting as Justin and Alex.

But after that, we have only one night left and then it's back to New York for me. We really do need to talk about this soon. First, I need to make sure Alex understands that Cody will be my guy for a long time — and isn't just some holiday fling.

"No, Alex. He means more to me than just some dude you meet on your vacation. I want us to stay together, even after the cruise is over," I clarify for her.

"Wow, you're really in love with him…"

A matter of fact, I love him so much, it's getting ridiculous.

"I totally am, with all my heart," I say, leaving this issue behind us because there are other important things I want to discuss. Like setting up a romantic date with my boyfriend to surprise him… and figuring out our future after this teen cruise.

"Hey guys, do you want to help me set up a romantic date for me and Cody?" I ask my brother and sister.

"So soon already?"

"You said it yourself, Alex. Tomorrow Mom and Dad will be here. It has to be tonight and it has to be perfect. So I really could use some help," I plead, using my puppy dog eyes.

Judging from their reactions, Justin and Alex are not as easy to convince as my boyfriend. I guess he's the only one who can't resist my pout.

"I'm not going to be your waiter again, bro. One time being treated like that was enough for me," Justin says, reliving my 'clown' date with Jeanette from a few months ago

"No thanks, I want it to be perfect this time. I'll find someone else. I just wanted to ask you two if you could help me with something. I just came up with the perfect plan for a romantic date!"

"Well then, what are you still doing here? Why aren't you busy with your perfect plan?" Alex questions me with a puzzled look on her face.

"I've decided I want to have a romantic dinner date with Cody. But I don't know where to set it up: our cabin is not romantic and the restaurant isn't exactly ideal either." Looking at the floor, I confess, "And I'm afraid that whatever we have for dinner won't be as good as the stuff he makes.

This is true. Although Cody's surprise this morning was absolutely stunning, it made me feel a bit insecure about myself. I mean, how can I top that? I don't think I'll be able to make him happy with some ordinary meal from the ship's restaurant. I know, it's stupid but I'm scared I can't do something as nice as he did for me.

"Max… it'll be good enough for Cody, because whatever you do, it'll be something his boyfriend did for him," Justin assures me wisely. "He chose to be with you, so he'll like anything you give him, just because it's from you."

My brother, and sister too, keep surprising me here. While they totally neglect me at home, they have done nothing but support me and try to stop me from worrying too much.

I have to admit Justin is probably right. I shouldn't worry about Cody not liking the surprise dinner I'm going to give him. After all, he's such a sweet guy. And don't people say that it's the thought that counts — not what you give?

Nevertheless I want this date with Cody be one he will always remember. It has to be amazing! And suddenly I realize what I want to do, and where. All I need to do is find a quiet place up on deck where we can have a romantic dinner by moonlight. And when the time is right, we can talk about the end of this teen cruise.

While I've been thinking about my date with Cody, it appears that my brother and sister have become entangled in yet another argument. I don't even know about what they're fighting this time. And frankly I don't even want to know. So I get up from the table, say goodbye to Justin and Alex, and head over to the Sky Deck on my quest to find the perfect place and menu for tonight.

I think Zack might be able to help me out actually. He has been on this ship for almost a year, he works here and he is constantly coming up with crazy schemes. Plus, I'm pretty sure he would do anything for his little brother. So I guess I could get some ideas from him.

I make sure Cody is nowhere to be seen, before I approach his twin at the smoothie bar.

"Hey, Zack, you got a minute?"

"Sure thing, Max. Let me get Bailey her smoothie first. I'll be with you in a minute."

Bailey? Would this be the same Bailey my boyfriend was after for months? Needless to say, I pay a bit more attention to the girl Zack is serving. She's a pretty girl. Well, as far as a gay guy like me can say that about a girl. But I can see why straight guys would be into her. She seems nice, too. The strange thing about her is that I'm seeing some vibes coming from Zack toward this Bailey. If you ask me, he might even be flirting with her!

I cough to make clear to Zack I'm still waiting for him, which causes him to drop Bailey's smoothie on the floor. Is he embarrassed that I've seen him flirting with Bailey?

"Max?! It's not what you think it is," Zack stammers, his face turning red. "Please don't tell Cody."

"Tell Cody what? That you're drinking a smoothie with Bailey?"

"You don't understand, dude. This is the girl Cody was hitting on before. I swore to him I'd never hit on Bailey, but I'm kind of flirting with her now." Zack explains to me quietly so that Bailey can't hear. "He might still feel betrayed, even though he's with you now."

"I don't think he would mind, Zack. But if you want to make sure, why don't you just ask him? I'm sure he would say yes and would be happy for you," I try to convince him. I look over at the girl. "So this is Bailey?"

"Yah, come on, I'll introduce you to her," he replies and walks back over to her.

"Max, this is Bailey Pickett, London's roommate from Kettlecorn, Kansas," he announces. Turning to her, he says, "Bailey, this is Max Russo, Cody's boyfriend from New York."

"Boyfriend?!" Bailey exclaims. Clearly she didn't know about this little detail yet.

"Something wrong with that?" I ask her.

"Of course not, I was just surprised. Cody just didn't strike me as someone who was into guys."

"Believe it or not, Bailes. Cody has turned to guys now, and especially to this one here," Zack says, winking at me.

"Well, I'm happy for Cody. He really deserves someone special. I'm glad he found someone who cares for him," Bailey replies. "And you seem to be a nice guy, too, Max. I hope you make Cody the luckiest guy on the planet."

"I will. You know, I can see now why Cody thinks of you as a great friend."

"Aw, that's sweet of you. But guys, I have to go now. Nice meeting you, Cody's boyfriend." Bailey waves to us as she leaves the smoothie bar.

Once she's gone, I turn to Zack to ask him what I came here for. "Zack, I need some help. I want to surprise Cody with a romantic dinner by moonlight somewhere on the ship. But I have no idea where to find someplace quiet and romantic."

"Great idea, dude. Cody would definitely love that," Zack agrees with my plan. "And I think I may have the perfect place for you. I once had a very romantic date with Violet there."

"Sweet!" I exclaim. "Now I just need to pick a good menu and find a trustworthy waiter."

"I think I can help you with that, too. I know a waiter you two can trust with your lives. He could even help you find the perfect dinner."

"You do, who?" I demand. "He sounds great!"

"Zack Martin," he replies smugly.

"You? Would you do that for us?" I ask him, confused. "But don't you have something else to do? I mean, you shouldn't do this if you already have a date yourself."

"Don't worry, I'm free tonight. I just want to help you guys out."

"That's all? There's nothing in it for you?" I'm totally perplexed by this guy. One minute he acts like he doesn't care at all, and the next minute he is the best friend you can imagine. I guess Cody was right: Zack's just… Zack.

"No, not at all…" Zack pauses for a second. "Okay, there is one small thing. It's just that I feel bad about the way I acted toward Cody at lunch today. I shouldn't have reacted that way. I probably really hurt his feelings."

Now I'm completely stunned. Okay, it's true, Zack's first response was way out of line. But I didn't expect him to still feel bad about it. Cody's tears must have affected him more than I thought.

"So, if I can help you with this date tonight, I can show my twin brother I honestly support him and his choices. Even if I don't understand all of them," Zack explains, looking away from me.

The older twin's confession had really touched me. He didn't seem like the demonstrative type, yet he's getting emotional in front of me 'cause he's afraid he hurt his brother. That's a side of Zack I didn't know existed, and one I actually like. It shows he's more than the tough guy he tries to be in front of everyone.

"Alright, I'd love to have you as the waiter for our date. If you can help me with the location and menu, too?"

"Yeah … Look, my shift is over in about an hour. If you can wait that long, we can go over to the restaurant and you can choose whatever dishes you want. And after that I'll show you my secret place. The only thing you need to do is decorate it and be ready to wow Cody when he arrives."

"I think I can manage that," I chuckle. "And can you bring Cody up there when he's done with his shift?"

"Sure thing, man," he promises me. "But now I have to get back to the customers or Moseby will have me walk the plank."

I nod and order myself another drink while I wait for the end of Zack's shift. I spend most of the time sitting at the bar, making a mental list of what I'll need for our date tonight. Every now and then I see Cody pass by while he's handing out towels. Occasionally we share a smile, a small wink or an air-kiss. It's such an amazing feeling to be in love.

Catching glimpses from Cody while waiting seems to seriously shorten the waiting time. Because before I know it, Zack is finished work and ready to help me plan the perfect dinner for me and my guy.

* * *

Here I am, sitting at a table on an upper deck, anxiously awaiting the arrival of Zack and Cody. I don't know how Zack managed this, but he actually did find us a secluded spot that most people don't know. It's very peaceful and quiet up here.

Before my precious Cody arrives, I take some time to look over things to make sure everything is perfect. Let's see: table is set for two, candles are light, romantic music, two glasses of white grape juice, a three-course dinner that will be served by Zack, dressed as a waiter. There's even a full moon. All in all, the ideal setting for a romantic date with my boyfriend. Now I just need to wait till he arrives. If Zack is true to his word, it shouldn't be much longer.

Yes, finally I catch sight of both twins. Zack is leading his younger brother who has been blindfolded. Obviously a small addition he made to our plan and not a bad idea, as a matter of fact. This way the date is even more of a surprise. Zack guides Cody over to the chair facing mine.

As soon as he sits down Zack says, "You can take you blindfold off now, Cody."

I expected Cody to remove his blindfold slowly, but instead he rips it off and throws it away, right at his older twin. As soon as he sees me sitting across him, his face takes on an astonished expression.

"Max! Why are you here? What am I doing here? What is all this?"

This is priceless, the look on his face when he's taking in the secret spot and everything I set up for us. Little by little he begins to understand what's going on, because I see that sweet smile appear on his face yet again.

"You did this for me, Maxie?"

"Yeah, I wanted to surprise you with a romantic dinner by moonlight. Our first date to celebrate the end of our first day together, so to speak. You like it?"

"Of course I do! That's so incredibly sweet of you, Maxie. But what is Zack doing here? And why is he wearing a suit?"

"He helped me set all of this up in time. And he's going to help us out now," I explain and call for his brother, "Oh, garçon!"

"You called, Mr. Russo?" Zack asks, using his most formal accent and causing Cody to burst out in laughter

"Yes, you may bring the first course, please."

"It will be my pleasure, Mr. Russo," Zack says before he leaves us to get our dinner.

I glance at Cody and see he's still laughing with the sight of his twin. "He's hilarious, Max! How did you talk him into doing this?"

"I'm not sure if I can tell you, to be honest. It's kind of confidential," I tell my boyfriend, feeling a bit guilty for keeping a secret from him.

"Ah, come on, Maxie. You can tell your Cody Wody anything," he says, as he gets up and moves closer to me with the most irresistible expression I've ever seen on his face.

I try to look away from his face so I won't fall for it, but that seems to be impossible. I can't escape him… especially not when he's kissing me! I know he's just trying to get me to spill Zack's secret to him, but I just can't pull away from him, can I? Obviously not, so I give in and accept his kiss.

As we break apart I see Cody looking at me with great expectations, ready to be told what Zack's motives are for helping me. I guess I'll have to give in and tell him already. I wouldn't be able to resist him that much longer anyway.

"Well OK, but only if you promise not to tell anyone. And definitely not Zack himself."

"Of course not, Maxie. I can keep a secret," Cody assures me.

"Zack told me earlier that he felt really bad for the way he reacted when you told everyone I'm your boyfriend. He wanted to show you that he totally backs you up on every choice you make. And we figured he could do that by being our waiter."

"Oh… I don't know what to say. I didn't know Zack was still feeling that way." Cody seems dismayed by this revelation. "Honestly, I don't even care about his first reaction anymore. I have to say, I even understand why he was so shocked. After all, it was a very un-Cody thing to do."

"But I'm happy I did so," he adds reassuringly, before he gives me a small kiss. "Thank you for this date, by the way, Max."

Both of us are so caught up in our conversation and kissing, we don't notice our waiter has returned with the first courses.

"Ahem, Mr. Martin, Mr. Russo?" Zack coughs to get our attention. "Can I serve you your seafood medleys please, gentlemen?"

"You certainly can, garçon," Cody chuckles. It seems that he still can't get over his brother's manners as a waiter.

Zack serves us both our dishes and walks away to put on a CD. Soon we hear Phil Collins singing his most romantic love songs. I believe this one is called "This Must Be Love". Couldn't fit our situation more, this really must be love indeed. Usually I'm not into this kind of music, but somehow sitting here with Cody actually makes me appreciate this kind of sappy song.

And so we spend our first date being waited upon by Zack, and enjoying the greatest food this ship has to offer. From the seafood medley to the chicken française to a scrumptious dessert of crepes a la mode with chocolate sauce. I definitely picked out the most amazing dinner possible, and judging by how Cody is acting, he is enjoying every minute of it, too.

Getting Zack's input may have seemed crazy at first, but it has paid off. Not to mention, he's hysterical as our waiter, acting in this stuffy way. Of course Cody doesn't pass up the opportunity to compliment his older brother on his amazing waiter skills, and how much he appreciates his twin doing this for us. No doubt that's exactly what Zack needed to hear from his baby brother.

As great as Zack's presence may be, I'm beginning to yearn for some alone time with my boyfriend. After all, there is still a serious issue to talk about: the end of the cruise. I suppose now would be the best time for that, so I motion for Zack to get over here.

"Zack, you have been an awesome waiter, and a great help, but could you leave us alone now? Please?"

"Are you sure, Mr. Russo? You don't need anything more?" He asks me, still playing his role.

Before I can answer him, I get interrupted by Cody, who stands up and starts to hug his twin brother.

"You were wonderful, Zack! Thank you so much for doing this for Max and me. You really are the best brother I can imagine," he says, getting rid of every fear that might still be left in Zack's mind. "But you can stop calling us mister now."

"Thanks, Cody. I guess I needed that… You guys sure you don't need anymore help?"

"No, we can handle it, bro. Isn't there some girl you need to impress?" Cody asks him with a smirk.

"Well, there is one…" The older twin mumbles, still reluctant to let his twin know who he is hot for now.

"Then, what are you still doing here? Go get that girl, dude!"

With Zack gone, the moment has finally arrived. It's weird how I'm not even that scared anymore. I have been afraid about every other thing involving Cody, but somehow now I'm my own confident self again. Is that Cody's influence? Or just his kind, sweet reactions I don't always expect? Whatever the answer is, I feel a surge of confidence that I've never felt before since the moment I knew for sure that I was gay.

"Um, Cody, there is something we need to talk about."

"There is? What's wrong, Maxie?" he asks me.

"No, there's nothing wrong. It's just… I have to leave in two days already," I say, grabbing hold of his hand.

"That soon?!" Cody exclaims, a stupefied look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. We were here only thanks to Justin's prize-winning essay. My parents will be here tomorrow and we're leaving the day after that."

"B-b-but we just got together…"

"I know, and I don't want to leave, either. But my parents…"

At that moment we both seem to realize the repercussions this upcoming separation might have for us. We do nothing but stare into each other's eyes for the next ten minutes, or maybe even longer than that. Until Cody decides to break the awkwardness by getting closer and leaning in for a kiss.

I enjoy the kiss as though it's the last one we'll ever share, and judging from the shared passion in this kiss, so does Cody. I really wish this kiss could last forever, but obviously that's impossible. Because Cody soon breaks the kiss and looks me in the eyes before he begins to speak.

"No Max, I don't want this to stop now."

"What?! I don't understand… What don't you want to stop?" I exclaim, feeling completely disoriented.

"I meant I want to go through with this. We just found each other, let's not break up so soon."

"But how? I'll be in New York, and that's so far away…"

"We'll make it work, even if it's long distance. I don't want to lose you already, these past two days with you have been amazing, Maxie." He sounds more confident than ever before.

"I guess you're right. And I don't want to lose you either," I reply happily, because this is exactly what I hoped for. I'm not just a fling for Cody either, just like he isn't for me.

"Hey Cody, since my Mom and Dad will be here tomorrow, I can introduce you, if you like?"

"I'd love to!" he responds. "By the way, my parents will be visiting us tomorrow, too."

"Really? That's a bizarre coincidence…"

"Yeah, it sure is," Cody agrees. "So, do you want to meet my parents, too?"

"Sure thing. They must be awesome, if their son is such a sweet amazing guy."

"Thanks, Maxie. But you're forgetting about Zack, he's their son too," he adds with a chuckle. "Anyway, it's a deal? We'll introduce our boyfriends to our parents?"

"Of course!" I declare, jumping right into his arms.

We stay like that for quite a long time, until I suddenly hear something splashing in the water. Needless to say, I want to know what that sound is. Who knows, it might be a whale or another incredible sea creature!

Reaching the railing, I look toward the ocean and see orcas jumping out of the water. This is absolutely fantastic! I've never seen those animals in real life and now I can share this special moment with Cody, who is standing right behind me now, looking at the orcas, too.

As soon as they are out of sight, Cody grabs me by my waist and says, "Come Max, close your eyes."

"Why?"

"Just trust me." is his only answer and so I close my eyes.

I feel him pushing me a few steps on the railing while he is still holding me by my waist. He gives me a small kiss on my neck, then he tells me I can open my eyes again.

I look around and notice that I'm standing a few steps higher on the railing. It almost feels like I'm standing in the air, instead of on the ship. Cody suddenly grabs me by my arms and spreads them like they are wings.

"I'm flying!!!" I shout all over the ship.

I look back at Cody and see a very seductive expression on his face. He releases my arms and wraps his around my waist again, while I leave mine out as though they are real wings. Cody turns to me and leans in for a kiss. The romantic scene and Cody's actions make this by far the most passionate kiss we have ever shared.

---

_Words can only say so much__  
It's hard to express  
The things you do to me  
You're everything I could ever dreamed you'd be_

_It must be love, I'm feeling  
This must be love  
Oh this must be love, I'm feeling  
This must be love_

_Phil Collins, "This Must Be Love"

* * *

_

_**Author's Notes: **__First of all, sorry for the delay on posting this chapter. But some unexpected things happened which delayed this chapter. I'm so sorry for that!_

_Anyway, I like to thank Elianna22 again for her amazing editing job. And for her proofreading, too._

_I also like to thank all of you lovely reviewers and supporters. Thanks a lot guys, you're the ones I'm doing this for. Never be afraid to leave a review!_

_The song used for this chapter: "This Must Be Love" by Phil Collins, from the album "Face Value", published in 1981._


	6. Are You Kidding, Son?

**Chapter 6:**** "Are You Kidding, Son?"

* * *

**

Today is the day!

Well, actually, today is just another one of those important days for Cody and me. Ever since he said he wanted to be with me, everything we've done has been crucial for us. Our confession of our feelings for each other, our outing to our siblings, Cody's breakfast and our dinner date last night. I'm really living a dream, one I never thought possible. And all thanks to the most amazing boyfriend you could imagine.

But today things might be different. Because later this afternoon I will introduce Cody to my parents and I will meet his, too. I really hope they will be as accepting of us as Justin, Alex and Zack have been. But frankly I'm not sure how Mom and Dad will react. I like to think we have a fairly open family, but sexual orientation is not exactly something we discuss at the dinner table. So yes, I have to admit I'm kind of worried about what might happen.

Cody on the other hand seems to be very confident about his parents. According to him it won't be a problem for them. "They want their sons to be happy, Max. They will accept us," he told me yesterday.

I wish I could share his confidence, but I can't. But there is one thing that gives me a whole lot of courage: Cody will be there with me, even after this cruise ends. Neither of us knows at this point how to make it work with me in New York and Cody here on a cruise ship, but I'm sure we will.

It goes without saying that thinking about my parents' reaction has been stressing me out all morning. Although I guess not having Cody around for four hours may also have had had an effect on my thoughts. Too bad he is working this early shift as the ship's towel boy. Then again, Cody looks damn cute in his uniform — so hot, so sexy and so my boyfriend.

His shift should be almost over by now. We have agreed to talk to his parents about us, together, when he's finished working today. I'm quite curious to meet them actually. Somehow I just know they will awesome and accepting of us. Their oldest son was, so why would they be any different?

It so happened that both his and my parents arrived at the same time this morning. In fact I thought it was a bit weird, like a sign that we're really meant to be. Or perhaps that's just how I'm seeing this weird coincidence. Anyways, Cody and I welcomed our respective parents, silently agreeing to wait a while for the big announcement. And we could probably use the support of our siblings… which is why we're also meeting up with Zack after Cody's towel boy shift.

And that should be right about now because Cody is running over to me. He jumps right into my arms and gives me a few small kisses. This very sweet gesture attracts some disapproving glances from people on the Sky Deck, though. Not everyone appears to be as open to gay people as our siblings are. Sad…

Anyhow, we walk away to find Zack, still feeling people's eyes burning on our backs. We both shrug at the same time and hold hands even more firmly, knowing that people are staring at us. This is just our way to show we don't care what they think. We are happy being together, and that's what counts for us.

Although I have to confess it does make me wonder what will happen next. What if our parents are like these people?

While I'm lost in my thoughts, I don't immediately notice that we're not heading to Zack's cabin at all.

"Hey, where are we going? Aren't we supposed to get your brother first?" I ask when I realize we're going in a completely different direction. I definitely want Zack to be there when we meet their parents.

"Yeah, that's where we're heading now."

"But isn't his cabin somewhere else? Or is he working at the smoothie bar now?"

"Not really… Look Max, Zack is with the ship's counsellor now. I think it has something to do with some essay he almost forgot to hand in," Cody replies, looking at the floor.

"Almost?"

"Yeah, you remember I told you I sometimes help Zack out with his schoolwork?" I nod, recalling he promised to do the same for me. "Well, this time I kind of wrote his essay, but I think I might have left in some silly stuff. I kind of rushed through it, but I just couldn't let Zack fail… I mean, he is my twin brother after all."

I sincerely doubt Zack would do the same for his younger brother, but I have to say it's so incredibly sweet of Cody to do this for him. I'm beginning to think Cody might be the right one to help me beat Justin and Alex in the Wizard Competition. But that's for later. Now he needs some comfort from me.

"Don't feel bad, man. I'm sure your essay has nothing to do with it," I assure him. "He probably just pulled some crazy prank on someone."

"You know, you may be right. Moseby has been threatening us quite a lot lately with major consequences if we pull another stunt."

"Seriously? It's a good thing he didn't see our prank," I say with a hint of relief in my voice. I don't want to cause Cody trouble just by showing off my skills.

"Yeah, but I don't think he would have found out that you were the one behind it. Most people don't exactly believe in wizards, or magic for that matter. It would be hard to convince him you were the one doing that."

"He kind of scares me," I admit, blushing a bit.

"Yeah, Moseby can be scary when you don't know him. But he really does like us, even though he doesn't show it," Cody explains.

Surprising… I could have sworn he hated Zack. But I guess Moseby has a heart of gold deep inside — you just have to dig to find it.

"Anyways, you shouldn't feel bad, sweetie. Whatever Zack has done to deserve counselling, I'm sure it has nothing to do with you," I say, putting my arm around his shoulders.

"I guess so…" he answers.

By now, we're approaching the boutique London Tipton owns, which Cody says is close to the counsellor's office. Suddenly we hear a shriek from somewhere behind us.

We both turn around and see nothing at first.

But then we hear someone yelling for a second time, and we see Zack running into our direction. At first this seems strange to us, because he has a weird, slightly terrified look on his face — probably because there's a man chasing him pointing a banana at him like a weapon.

"Well… That was awkward," I comment when both of them are out of sight.

"Yeah, very strange. Do you think that, maybe, it has something to do with our joke from yesterday?" the younger twin asks me, with a concerned expression.

"You mean that thanks to our flying bananas, he might have developed some kind of…"

"…bananaphobia," Cody finishes for me.

Oh god no, I hope Cody isn't right about this. All I meant to do was play a harmless prank on him, not give him an irrational fear. This does not bode well for meeting their parents, if I've accidentally given their oldest son a bananaphobia.

It seems Zack and his attacker are running in circles because we see him heading toward us again. But this time he spots us standing here.

"Cody! Hide me, please!" he yells when he reaches us.

It goes without saying that Cody immediately steps up so that Zack can hide behind him. It's not a second too soon, because the weird man armed with the banana reappears. He stares in our direction, but he doesn't seem to notice the older twin hiding behind his brother, since he walks right past us.

"Zack!? What's going on here?" Cody exclaims when the strange man has left.

Before saying anything Zack pulls us both inside London's boutique, to make sure his attacker won't find him, I guess.

"Um, that was the ship's counsellor, Mr. Blanket."

"And why was he chasing you with a banana?" Cody asks his brother.

"To make a long story short, you already know I was called in to see the ship's counsellor, Mr. Blanket, right?" Cody just nods, anxious to learn more. "Apparently I had handed in the wrong essay to Ms. Tutweiller, not the one we wrote together but a different one with some jokes in it. Now Ms. Tutweiller thinks I'm crazy and sent me to Mr. Blanket," Zack explains.

"Couldn't you just tell her you handed in the wrong essay?" I ask him.

"Not exactly. I accidentally deleted the real essay," he replies. This makes Cody sigh. "Anyway, I couldn't explain all of this to Mr. Blanket, so I made up a terrible fear of bananas since I saw that scary floating banana yesterday, and 'cause of the dream I had last night."

"Dream?"

"Yeah, a totally weird dream where I was surrounded by flying bananas. Anyway, Mr. Blanket decided the best he could do was to try to get me comfortable with bananas by attacking me with the dang fruit. And that's what he was doing just now when I saw you guys."

Both Cody and I are stunned by Zack's story. This guy is a psychologist? I can't believe it. Would that kind of "therapy" even work?

"Seriously, Zack? You deleted that essay I wrote? I spent so much time on it!" Cody says, sounding indignant that his twin brother could be so careless about school work.

"Way to focus on the real issues, Cody. Mr. Blanket is the problem here, not your school work," he replies.

"Wouldn't you be better off telling Ms. Tutweiller the truth?" my smart boyfriend advises his brother.

"Hmm, maybe I will… maybe I won't," Zack answers casually. "But hey, don't you guys have something to tell Mom and Dad?"

"Um, you're right, we really should go meet them now." Cody turns to me then, grabs hold of my hand and asks, "Are you ready for this, Maxie?"

"Yeah. Let's do this!" I answer before the three of us finally can head over to our first trial today.

As we walk up to the Sky Deck I can't help thinking about Zack's dream of floating bananas. I'm a little worried that I've traumatized him for life.

"Zack?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't know how to put this, but are you afraid of bananas now?"

"What? No, of course not. Why would you ask?"

"Well… you did dream about floating bananas. And that flying banana you apparently saw yesterday?" I explain nervously.

"No, not at all. Okay, the dream and the flying banana were weird. And Mr. Blanket is creepy, but I'm not scared of bananas, Max. I'm a man, and men don't fear fruit!" he says proudly.

Okay… That last line was a little bit disturbing, but nonetheless I'm glad he doesn't seem to have any serious damage from all this banana stuff.

But enough of that, we must be approaching Zack and Cody's parents now since Cody is holding my hand even more tightly than before. And also because I see a woman waving to us, motioning for us to come over to them.

Since this is my first encounter with Cody's mom and dad, I take the time to study them. Their dad looks like someone who wants to act young, except that he isn't anymore. I would say he is the cool parent. The one who would let his sons get away with everything. The kind of dad who would take you to a rock concert. Come to think of it, he kind of looks like a rocker himself — an over-aged rocker nonetheless.

Their mom looks very sweet, just like mine actually. I have the feeling she is the kind of mother who would have a hard time letting her child go. But one who would support every decision he makes. Or am I just hoping that?

Regardless, it's obvious to me where Cody got his devastating good looks from. Now let's hope he got his sweet, kind personality from them, too.

Once we get closer to them, they both seem to notice me at the same time — and that I am holding hands with their youngest son. A shocked, dumbfounded look forms on their faces as the three of us sit down at their table.

There's an awkward silence until Cody's mother decides to break the silence and ask the million-dollar question both she and her ex-husband are clearly dying to ask.

"Cody? Who is this guy? And why are you holding hands with him?"

Cody sighs, looks at me to make sure I'm still at his side, and afraid to look his parents in the eye, explains our situation. "Mom, Dad, this here is Max, Max Russo. He… he… he's my boyfriend."

And now they're even more shocked. Their mom just stares at the both of us with an open mouth, unable to say anything.

Their dad's reaction is far worse though, since he looks at us and exclaims,

"Fuck, Cody! I didn't know my son was a fag!"

"Dad?" Cody pleads.

"I don't want my son to be a faggot! I want my sons to be real men! Macho and tough, attracting any girl they want. Not be some fuckin' homo!"

Obviously that's just too much for Cody. He leans his face on my shoulder and starts to cry. I have to say I'm about to break down myself, too. How can their dad be so heartless? And I thought Zack's initial reaction on Cody's announcement was bad, but this was just much worse.

"What the hell, Dad?!" Zack exclaims. I can see through my tears he's very shocked and annoyed, too. "Don't you see what you're doing to Cody? Are you really going to hate your son, just 'cause he likes guys?"

Their father is now glaring at his older son, almost like he's about to hit someone. I hold onto Cody, who is still crying like there is no tomorrow.

"Well Dad, if you're going to hate Cody for this, or reject him, then neither of us has a father anymore. A real father would accept his son for who he is, because he loves him. I guess you don't love us at all," Zack adds to his previous statement.

The oldest Martin brother seems to have found the right words, because the look on their father's face is changing little by little. It seems he understands he's way out of line here.

"Look, I'm sorry, man. Of course I love you and Cody. But it's just… he caught me by surprise. I've just had some bad experiences with gay people, who were total jerks and tried to hit on me. And I didn't want my son to be a fag like them. I wanted him to give me grandchildren, not a son-in-law."

"Geesh Dad, that's still no reason to treat Cody like he's a pile of shit. Isn't he still your son?" Zack asks. When he receives a small nod from his dad, he continues. "Don't think of Cody as your gay son, but as your son who is happy to have found someone special in his life. Someone that just happens to be a guy instead of a girl. Don't you want Cody to be happy, Dad?"

He sighs and looks to the floor, before he finally seems to find enough courage to look his older son in the face. "You're right, Zack. I'm sorry. I guess it's OK if Cody wants to be a fag, he's still my son."

"Shouldn't you be telling Cody, Dad?" Zack points at Cody and me. "And will you stop using the word 'fag'? It's demeaning for gays, you know."

Realizing his son is right, Cody's father turns to us and taps Cody on his shoulder.

"Codester… Cody? Please, son, I'm so sorry for what I said. I don't know why I did that. I didn't mean all of that, you're still my son. And I love you, no matter what."

Still holding me tightly and his eyes red-rimmed, Cody looks up at his dad.

"Even if I like Max? Instead of a girl?" he manages to say.

"Yes, son. For you, I'm prepared to accept you're gay. Just don't ask me to understand your choices," his dad answers his youngest son.

When he hears his dad make that statement, Cody finally releases his hold on me and gets up to go over to his father.

"So, you're OK with me and Max being together?" Cody questions his father.

"If this is who you are and if he makes you happy, then I am, son," he responds and pulls Cody into a much-needed hug.

They hug for quite a long time. Cody is clearly very grateful for this gesture after his father's initial harsh statements.

When they finally let go of each other, Cody turns to his mother to ask for her acceptance, too.

"Mom… Mommy?"

I think most of us had forgotten about Cody's mother, since hadn't said anything. I, for one, didn't realize she was still here until Cody turned to her. She seems to be upset, but I'm not sure it's because of Cody and me or because of her ex's outrageous behaviour.

She still doesn't say anything, but instead takes Cody's right arm, grabs her youngest son and pulls him into yet another hug. While hugging him, she whispers a few words into Cody's ear. Judging from how my boyfriend is acting after the sweet mother-son hug, they must be something positive. It seems she accepts us as a couple.

"I can't believe you, Kurt! How could you act like that to Cody? You know he is…" she pauses for a moment to look to her youngest son. "…sensitive. And you go all berserk just because he's gay?" She looks angrily at Cody's dad.

"Mom… I don't know if I'm gay, to be honest," Cody cuts in quickly before his dad can answer.

"Oh, come on, bro. Who do you think you're kidding? You're in love with a guy. That's gay if you ask me. Why don't you admit it to yourself, too, Cody? We all still love you," Zack advises Cody, sounding slightly annoyed.

Again no of us are able to or want to say anything, while we all look at Cody. Except Cody himself. He is looking at me, as if he's trying to decide at that moment if he wants to be gay or straight. Which is impossible, of course, but he sure does a good impression of that.

After just staring at me for awhile, he gives me a small kiss. Or at least I think it was supposed to be a small kiss, but it's turning into more than just a little peck on the lips.

"I think you're right, Zack… Go ahead and call me gay if you want," he says when he breaks our kiss and faces his family once more.

I have to confess, this is one of the bravest things I've ever heard Cody declare. Not too long ago, he wasn't sure about taking a step into the vast unknown with another guy, and now he is open enough with himself to acknowledge he might as well be gay. I wonder if it has something to do with me that Cody is so much more confident now.

"But Cody, why are you gay now? What happened to this Bailey you wanted? You even wrote me a nine page e-mail about her hair alone," their dad, whose name is apparently Kurt, asks his son.

Cody turns a deep shade of red. "Um, I…I…" he stutters, then takes a deep breath and tries again. "No Dad, there is no Bailey for me anymore. It's Max now: he is the one I want, not Bailey."

"Well, okay… But although I still love you, son, I don't think I'll ever understand this choice you're making," Kurt responds.

"Thanks, Dad," Cody says, feeling a lot better now which results in me getting another small kiss from my boyfriend.

Glad that Cody has been fully accepted by his family, I suddenly become aware of the fact we still need to go talk to my parents, too. And god, I hope they will be more accepting than Cody's dad. Time is going on, so I try to stand up and pull Cody to his feet, too, but their mom stops me.

"Hey, don't you leave us yet. Excuse us for Kurt's behaviour, but we all want to know more about you, Max. Especially since you appear to be the one who has stolen my little boy's heart."

Okay… This is not something I've been looking forward to. I don't want to be cross-examined by them, because that usually makes me say random stupid stuff. But it seems like I have no choice but to answer all their questions.

Luckily his parents aren't so bad after all, and neither is their interrogation. They really are very nice to me. I wouldn't be surprised if they'll let me into the family right away. What an incredible change from Kurt almost wanting to hang his son at first.

After we have been talking for quite a long time, I decide it's time to face my mom and dad, too.

"Um, Mr. and Ms. Martin, it's been really nice talking to you, but I should go meet my own parents now. They …um… don't know about us, either," I announce, getting up from the table.

"Go ahead, Max. It has been a pleasure for us too. You really are a nice guy, I can see why Cody likes you so much. You truly seem to be the right guy to make my boy happy," Cody's mom tells me before she gives me a hug. "Welcome in the family, Max!"

Hearing her say that makes me tear up again. Not sad tears this time, though, but happy tears. It feels so good be included in their family as Cody's boyfriend.

As good as this feels, it's definitely time for Cody and me to go to my parents. So we say our goodbyes and head over to where my mom and dad are waiting for us, together with Justin and Alex.

While arriving at the table my family is sitting, I note all four of them are in a lively discussion. I can only guess what they're talking about, but knowing Alex it can't be anything good.

When we take our seats at the table, I sense a very unease atmosphere. Everyone except Cody is looking at me like I've done something wrong. What is going on here? And why is Mom crying now? This really is weird…

Finally my dad speaks up and asks me, "Max, is it true what Alex has been telling us about you?"

"What do you mean?" I reply, but I'm afraid I already know what this is about. How could Alex and Justin tell my parents without asking me?

"Are you gay, son?"

Okay, I was right, this is exactly what I thought it was. You know, there is no way I can figure out Alex and Justin. Yesterday they were so accepting and friendly toward me, and today they spill this to Mom and Dad.

"Yeah, I'm gay," I answer, not daring to look my parents in the eyes.

And for some reason, Mom seems to be crying even harder now. Is she crying because I'm gay? Come on… first Cody's dad acts like a total jerk, and now my mom cries her heart out? Why can't they just be happy for us from the start?

I see Cody next to me getting very nervous, too. He has no idea what is going on now either, and I think he is replaying the scenario with his parents in his mind. There is no way either of us wants to go through that again. It was way too painful for both of us.

"Mom? Mommy? Why are you crying?" I ask her, unable to watch this for much longer.

After a few minutes of more weeping, she is able to talk and answer at last, "Oh Maxie, I'm so sorry!"

"Sorry? Why? You didn't do anything wrong, Mommy."

"I turned my baby gay!" she exclaims before collapsing into tears again.

I don't know what to say now. And I'm not the only one. When I look beside me, I see Cody is stupefied, as well. Why would Mom say that? What kind of crap is this?

"What!? No, you didn't. I've always been gay. It has nothing to do with you, Mommy," I insist.

She swallows some tears before she's ready to respond. "No, Maxie, it's true. I mothered you too much, and turned you gay. It's in so many parenting books."

She can't be serious! How can you even believe that? Like you can turn people gay by being an overprotective parent. Okay, Mom has babied me a lot, but that didn't make me like guys. That's just…

"No, Mommy, that's not true. You…'" I start to explain, till I feel Cody putting his hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"If I may, Mrs. Russo. That's actually not true. It has been proven that being a good parent and mothering a lot doesn't make a child gay," Cody explains.

"Really?"

"Yes, look at my brother Zack. He has always been a mama's boy. And yet he's the straight one while I'm the gay twin."

I glance at Cody, feeling disoriented. I thought it was the other way around with the twins. At least that's what Cody told me, if I remember correctly.

Noticing my staring, Cody squeezes my hand, and I realize I should keep quiet.

"Really? Maybe I was wrong then. You're sure?" Mom asks him.

"Definitely, I've actually researched this, Mrs. Russo," Cody replies, and I finally get what he is trying to do.

"I guess you're right… if you really have done research," my mother gives in to Cody. "Sorry for acting this way, Maxie. I just wasn't thinking," she says to me.

"It's OK, Mommy," I say and give her a hug.

After we both let go of each other, I turn around to Cody to plant a much-deserved kiss on his lips. His idea to trick Mom was really genius. I wouldn't have known what to do without him. Before we can get into our kiss for real, the sound of someone coughing stops us. We break apart and turn to the source of the sound, which seems to be Dad.

"Um yeah, Max… this is your boyfriend?"

"Yep. Mom, Dad, this is Cody Martin." And thus, I introduce the most wonderful guy in the world to my parents.

"Well, welcome to the family I guess, Cody," Dad says. "You seem like a nice, smart guy. And obviously Max thinks very highly of you."

"I love him, Dad, with all my heart," I carry on.

"Well… I never expected you to gay, son. But if that's who you are, and Cody is the one you want to be with, then we can't do anything else then accept you. We just want our son to be happy. Don't we, Theresa?"

"Yeah, we just want you to be happy and comfortable with who you are, even if it means you're gay," Mom says, still sobbing. "And your Cody does seem like a nice guy."

"He sure is, and he's going to help me with my homework," I add.

And now it's Cody's turn to be cross-examined by my parents. And just like me, Cody passes with flying colours.

The more he tells them, the more I have the feeling my parents are ready to include him in their will immediately. They seem to think I need "someone smart and serious to help me become more responsible and less of a goofy prankster." I guess Mom and Dad really are glad I've fallen in love with someone like Cody.

After some more small talk with my family, Cody and I head over to the railing so we can talk about tomorrow, when I leave the ship, and how we are going to make this work. After a long discussion, mixed with long passionate kisses, we decide I can use magic to visit Cody on the weekends and maybe some evenings, too. It's not much, but it's probably the best we can do, as long as he's on the ship.

The only problem might be that my parents will probably never allow this.

* * *

_**Author's Notes:**__Some interesting reactions by especially Kurt and Theresa here. Thank god for both boys, it all worked out in the end. Now they have to face perhaps the biggest challenge of their young relationship. Max's leaving: how will this end?_

_I like to thank Elianna22 of course for her amazing editing job. She really is the best! Also I have to thank tiger002 for some inspiration for the first part of this chapter, although I spent a lot of time on that. Another thank goes out to the-lovely-anomaly first for jumping into the story later on and leaving those amazing reviews, but second for inspiration for one particular parent. My last thanks are for The Hurricane 13: without him I would have still been struggling on this chapter. Just by some conversations with Hurricane, my writing spirit reappeared. Thanks a lot for that! :)_

_Of course I like to thank all of you who reviewed so far, and I hope you all feel encouraged to review again!_


	7. Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?

**Chapter 7:**** Why Does It Have To Be So Hard?

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**

There I am standing by a bar on the _S.S. Tipton_, wondering why I'm here in the first place. I don't recall anyone telling me there would be a party today. But apparently there is, and everyone seems to be having a good time. But I can't remember the occasion for this party. Is it somebody's birthday? Is a major holiday coming up?

As I look around at the other guests, I don't recognize any of them. This is a bit depressing to be honest. I can't see Cody anywhere, or even Zack.

My guess is that Cody probably has gone to the bathroom, while his older brother is off trying to pick up girls. No doubt by using the cheesiest pick-up lines you can think of.

Or Zack could be DJing this dance. I remember Cody once told me his brother used to DJ quite a bit. His two favourite DJ-styles were 'Wolfman Zack' and 'Grandmaster Zack'. Now both of those moves are very innovative and should be easy to recognize, so I walk over to a guy at a turntable who is acting like a Grandmaster.

Too bad he appears to be someone else and is no help in my quest to find Cody. I'm kind of getting desperate. I came here with Cody, and with Zack, too. Yet I can't seem to locate either of them now. I'm feeling totally disoriented and alone.

After checking the bathroom without any result, I walk back to the bar to get an orange juice. Then suddenly I have an idea! Since this is a party, they probably serve smoothies here, too — which means that Zack might have gone off to work at the smoothie bar. And once I get a hold of him, it will be easy to find out where Cody is.

As I reach the smoothie bar, I realize the guy behind the smoothie bar isn't Zack either. This is getting weirder and weirder. Why can't I just find someone I know?

I decide to stay at the bar and get a smoothie. The smoothie bar seems to be a meeting place, so if I stay here, I stand a better chance of running into someone I know – preferably Cody or Zack. And maybe I can ask the guy behind the bar. Being Zack's co-worker, he might have some idea.

When I finally get my Banana Fofana, I try to ask him. But before any word leaves my mouth, I feel someone tapping my shoulder. Hoping it's Cody, I turn around quickly. No such luck. It's only Zack.

"Hey, Zack!"

"Hey, Max," Zack says as he high-fives me.

"So, what are you still doing here, dude?" he asks.

"Well, I'm…" I start, but Zack interrupts me.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah… why aren't you with Cody?"

"Cody?"

"Yeah, Cody. He's waiting for you in his cabin. I thought you guys had planned a romantic date away from the ship tonight," Zack explains.

We did? How can I not remember something like that? What is going on here? This is all so weird! I would never forget a date with Cody, especially not when I can only be here for the weekend. But apparently I did. I can't wrap my mind around it, so I'm just staring dumbfounded at Zack.

"Max? Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I… I… Sorry, Zack. I guess I'd better go see Cody now," I reply, knowing I have a stupid look on my face.

"Yeah, you should," Zack urges me, "before he thinks you've ditched him for someone like Holden."

Oh my god! I would never dream of doing such a thing. Cody is perfect! I love him with all my heart! I would never even consider cheating on him. I really need to get to my boyfriend as quickly as I can before he jumps to conclusions.

I give Zack a quick goodbye and dash over to Cody's cabin. After almost breaking a record for speed, I push open the cabin door. Who I see in there completely stuns me.

Instead of my boyfriend, I see my dad sitting at Cody's desk.

"Dad?" I exclaim in shock. "What are you doing here?"

"You don't know, son?"

"Yes, I mean no, I mean… I don't know what you mean," I try to answer.

"Don't you remember me telling you not to use magic to visit Cody?" Dad questions me with a disapproving look.

"I guess that sounds familiar," I admit. "But can't I just stay here now? I need to find Cody!"

"Are you kidding me, Max? First you disobey me, and then you think you'll get a reward for doing so? Don't even think about it, you're coming home with me, young man!"

Wow, I've never seen Dad this angry about using magic. I mean Alex and Justin do it all the time, and he never gets this mad. Mom does, but Dad never… and now he looks ready to spank me. This is all so strange. Dad would never act like this. And he would understand how I feel! After all, he fell in love with a mortal, too.

Come to think of, I don't even understand how he got here in the first place. Dad has no magical powers, he can't travel by wand. Yet he's taking out his wand and uttering the travel spell.

Right before we vanish from Cody's cabin, Cody himself walks in.

"COOOOOOODYYYYYY!" I yell, trying to reach out to him.

Needless to say, I fail. The next moment I hear someone calling me. The voice is pretty close to me and assuming it's Cody, I put my arms around him and pull him into a passionate hug.

"Damn, Max! Let go of me, will you?"

Someone pushes me and I feel myself falling over… falling out of bed, in fact. Because when I open my eyes, I'm on the floor next to my bed and Justin is standing over me looking slightly worried.

Only then do I realize this has all been a dream. That was why I couldn't remember anything at that party, why Dad was so weird and why I forgot a date with Cody. I just knew it: I would never forget anything connected with Cody.

Relieved, I get up and Justin motions to the door. "Breakfast time, Max."

"I'll be right there, bro. I just want to check my text messages first," I say, getting up. "And maybe my email, too."

"Leave your email for later, Max. Mom and Dad are waiting for us downstairs. Just check your texts, and get downstairs," Justin insists. "You know what they're like on Saturday mornings, before the breakfast rush starts."

"Don't worry, I will."

As soon as Justin leaves my room, I grab my cellphone and click immediately through to my inbox. Only to find no new text messages from Cody… again. It's been a whole week since I've heard from my Cody. But maybe he's sent me an email! I shouldn't worry before I have the chance to check my email, too. But inside my heart, fear is growing that I've lost him already.

Shoving away those thoughts, I get dressed and make my way to the kitchen where my family is waiting for me to begin their breakfast. I greet everyone, sit down and grab a sandwich.

While we're eating, my thoughts wander once again to Cody. Despite what I just told myself, I'm still uneasy about not hearing from my boyfriend for a whole week.

I still remember the day I had to leave the teen cruise. It's like it happened just yesterday, even though it's been four weeks already since the last time we were able to hold each other, to cuddle in each other's arms, to share a passionate kiss. How I miss those little gestures. Being so far away is just not the same.

The day my family and I left for New York, I got up very early. In fact, I'm pretty sure I didn't even sleep that night. It's hard trying to fall asleep when you know you're leaving your boyfriend the very next day. I remember waking up at like five or six a.m. to pack my stuff. Right after that, I went straight to Cody's cabin and woke him up so we could spend my last few hours on the ship together.

And we did. We sat there together in his room for hours, holding hands and talking, about important stuff and totally random stuff. We just avoided one particular topic: my leaving. Unfortunately for us, time ticked away much too fast, and eventually I had to leave the ship.

When time caught up with us, we walked over to my cabin to get my stuff. Still holding hands, we ran over to where my family was waiting for me. I think they understood I needed some more time than Justin and Alex did.

Cody even stayed on the dock with me till the moment my dad said it was time to go, and then we really did have to say goodbye to each other.

As soon as Dad made the announcement, we threw ourselves into each other's arms. Knowing this would be our last kiss for some time, we made it into a very passionate kiss. It seemed like the world would end right afterwards. At the time we thought we would only be apart for a week, but I soon learned from Dad that I wouldn't be allowed to use magic to transport myself to the _S.S. Tipton_.

Still, a week was long enough for us to hold on each other and to keep kissing like we were going for some kind of _Guinness Book_ record. I'm not sure how long we would have kept it going if my Dad hadn't stopped us by reminding me that we had a plane to catch.

Unable to do anything else, we let go of each other and said goodbye one last time, assuring one another that we would stay in touch and that I would visit him soon. We had promised ourselves not to cry, but I failed miserably.

I just had to look back at Cody. And when I saw him standing there helplessly, his brother's arm around him, forcing himself not to cry, I couldn't hold out much longer and burst out in tears. At the time I didn't know if Cody had wept for me, too; I learned that only a week later. But I could not stand the possible sight of Cody in tears, so I turned my back to him. Only to start crying my eyes out even more.

I'm not sure what happened after that, but I think Mom grabbed me into a hug and didn't let me go until we were back in New York and I had stopped shedding tears over the sad farewell.

The next day Dad informed me that there was no way I would be allowed to use magic to go and visit Cody on the _S.S. Tipton_. He said it was too dangerous and against Wizard Council rules since I'm only a wizard-in-training. I tried the travel spell the first weekend anyway, but Dad was onto me before I could even finish saying it. Which led to me getting grounded, although I tried to get out of it by saying I was technically in the clear since I didn't actually use magic. But Dad didn't see it that way.

So all Cody and I could do to stay in touch was send text messages and e-mails. And boy did we text and email each other a lot those first two weeks. It felt strange, though, not being able to see him.

Luckily for us, Justin had this great idea to set up a Skype connection between my computer and Cody's laptop. For a whiz kid like my boyfriend, that was no problem of course. I, on the other hand, almost broke my computer and our Internet link. So I had to go beg my older brother to fix it for me, and then Cody and I were able to have video conversations. It goes without saying we spent hours everyday just talking via Skype.

Until this past week everything seemed to be going perfectly. Or as perfectly as a long distance relationship like this could go, that is. But since last weekend, a whole week ago now, I haven't heard anything from Cody. No Skype calls, no emails, not even a text —nothing! The last thing he told me via Skype call was that their school year was almost over and that he would visit me in New York the very next day. After that, nothing.

I know, Cody is probably too busy with schoolwork to think about me, or having too much fun on this great experience he's on. But still I can't stop myself from worrying that Cody is forgetting me, doesn't care about me, or worse, is cheating on me. When I'm really sad, I'm sure Cody actually is cheating on me.

Whenever that thought comes, I try to tell myself it can't be true. Cody is too nice and honest to so something like that behind anyone's back. At the beginning of this week, I believed myself every time, but the longer I wait for news from my boyfriend, the more afraid I become that he doesn't like me anymore.

What makes all of this even more unpleasant is how my family is reacting. They all say they knew this was going to happen. That long distance relationships never work out well. Alex even told me I should try to forget about Cody and move on. When she first said that, I got really angry at her for even suggesting it. I would never do that, or even think about it. I love Cody, with all my heart! More than anything else.

But now I'm not sure anymore if he still feels the same about me. Why else wouldn't he answer any of my calls or mails? Should I just listen to my family and move on? But I can't! I still love Cody like crazy…

I guess thinking about all this has brought me to the verge of crying again, 'cause I see Mom looking very anxiously me.

"Maxie? Is there something wrong? Why are you crying?" she asks me.

Unable to answer, I look at the barely touched sandwich on my plate.

"It's Cody, isn't it?" Alex answers Mom in my place.

I just nod.

"Still no news from him?" Mom asks, clearly sympathizing with how I feel.

Once again I can't speak and nod as my only answer.

"Oh, my poor baby!" Mom exclaims. "Did you check your email yet?"

"Not, just my cellphone but I got no text messages. I didn't have enough time to start up the computer."

"Why don't you go check now? You can finish your breakfast after that. Right, Jerry?"

"Um, yeah of course," Dad replies, a little confused.

Although I'm a bit reluctant to face another disappointment, I head up to my room and boot up my PC straight away. I find myself staring at my desktop wallpaper, not just because it's a picture of the hottest guy around, Cody, but because I don't want to open my inbox only to find nothing new.

Too bad, that is exactly what I see when I finally open my inbox. Nothing from Cody there. He isn't online, either, so we can't Skype or just talk via IM. Nothing… nothing… just nothing again…

I close down the computer again since it's no use to wait here for an email. Why would today be any different? Like he would suddenly remember me again after a week without contact? No, it's very clear to me: Cody has forgotten about me and moved on. Who knows, he might be kissing some other guy at this very moment.

No! Cody would never do that! Maybe something else is going on, something very important that demands all of his attention. There must be some logical reason why he hasn't replied to me this week.

But I just don't know anymore. One minute I think Cody is cheating on me, the next I know there has to be a reason for his silence. The only thing I know for sure is that this whole situation is hurting me, and my family, too.

When I sit down at the breakfast table again, I notice that both Mom and Dad are no longer here. They're probably already working in the sub shop downstairs. I have a shift, too, later today. Actually I begged for a long shift today. My parents were mind-boggled, but I'm just trying to focus on something other than Cody for a few hours. Even if it's just sandwiches.

By now I'm convinced of one thing. My family was right; it was crazy to think this long distance relationship would last. Obviously long distance relationships just don't work out. We should have known that. Maybe we should break up; maybe it would be for the best…

It's the not the first time I've considered this, but just thinking about breaking up with Cody makes me so sad every time. I'm about to cry again. God, I'm so pathetic right now.

"I guess no emails either, bro?" Justin questions me when he notices how sad I'm looking.

"Nothing."

"Poor Max…" Justin says. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but maybe Alex is right. Maybe you really should move on."

I can't believe I'm hearing this. Up until now, Justin has been the only one to support me when I said I wanted to keep this relationship going. He also told Alex off every time she suggested I should try to go for another guy and forget about Cody. He has caved in, too? I look up at my older brother in disbelief.

"I know… But Max, we don't want you to be this sad forever. We miss the old Max, the one who says stupid stuff and annoys us, but also the same Max who is always cheerful around the house," Justin says.

"Yeah, Max, Justin is right. You're bringing us down with your blah moods. We would really like our old little brother back," Alex adds.

"But but… I don't want to move on, I just want Cody. Nobody else."

They both sigh. Obviously this wasn't exactly what they wanted to hear from me.

"Oh come on, bro. There are other cute guys around than just Cody," Alex says.

"Yeah, of course there are. But I'm not going to click with every cute guy I know."

"Of course not, that's not what I meant. Isn't there at least some cute guy in your class you like enough?"

"Yeah, what about that boy who was here last weekend?" Justin carries on.

"You mean Jamie? Yeah, he's cute for sure," I reply casually. It's true, Jamie isn't just cute, he is drop-dead gorgeous. And a really nice guy, too. I definitely like hanging out with him.

"Yeah that's the one I meant. He's gay too, isn't he?"

I nod. Jamie is indeed gay. When I came out to my friends at school after the teen cruise, Jamie basically took me under his wing. Knowing how hard it was for me to find the right words to come out, he helped break the ice by telling me he was gay, too. Apparently Jamie had come out a long time ago. I thought it was so strange that I didn't notice him before in school. I mean, I did know who he was, but I never knew he was gay. And I never heard anyone calling him names. Needless to add, that made me very happy since it meant my school is pretty accepting when it comes to being gay. Ever since that day, Jamie and I have become pretty good friends. Plus he knows I have a boyfriend. I talk about Cody all the time.

"Oh yeah… I know who you mean, Justin." Alex jumps into the conversation again. "I think he kind of has a thing for you, Max."

"What you mean? He's just my friend, nothing more."

"He always kisses you when he gets here."

Um yeah, that's a little embarrassing actually. Jamie does kiss me every time we meet. The first time he did that, I totally backed away and might have run off if he hadn't stopped me. Jamie explained me it was perfectly normal for two gay guys to kiss on the cheek, or even on the lips. He does it all the time with his gay friends and it doesn't mean anything more than being good friends. That's exactly what he told me, and it's true, I have seen other gay friends do this.

At first I was very uncomfortable with this so-called 'gay convention'. Kissing Jamie, even while it was innocent, felt like cheating on Cody. According to Jamie, I just had to get used to those little gestures between friends. Since he always kissed me hello and good-bye, I did start to accept it. After all, just like Jamie himself said, it doesn't mean we're boyfriends; no, we're just good friends who are both gay. Although sometimes I can't help asking myself if it maybe it does mean more.

"That's nothing… we're just friends," I answer, feeling embarrassed.

"And haven't you noticed how he's staring at you all the time?" my sister keeps going.

"Um, no," I reply, not knowing where this might go, but a little curious nevertheless.

"God, you can be so stupid, Max." Alex rolls her eyes up to the ceiling. "_Everyone_ can see the love in his eyes when he secretly stares at you. It's so obvious he wants to be more than just your friend."

Really? Jamie likes me? Likes me like that? I never thought of him that way. Well, to be completely honest, I do think he would be great boyfriend material. He's a total hottie and a nice guy after all. But I'm already with Cody, and he's perfect for me. Isn't he?

"You guys seriously think so?"

"We all know so, Max."

Despite the fact Justin and Alex are saying this to make me feel better; it's only making me more confused. I never knew Jamie liked me that way. Okay, we did kiss on the lips a few times but weren't those just platonic kisses between friends? But if my sister and brother are right, maybe Jamie did mean something more by them. Now I'm starting to feel guilty for letting Jamie kiss me like that. Cody is my boyfriend after all, and not Jamie.

Only now I'm not so sure of all that anymore. If Jamie really does have feelings for me, maybe I just should admit that I have feelings for him, too. But I don't want to feel that way about him. I have Cody, and nobody can ever replace Cody. He's my one true love, my soulmate! Or at least I thought he was.

Suddenly this revelation about Jamie feels like a huge weight. I don't want to like him, but I could probably develop feelings for him, since I now know he likes me. But it wouldn't be the same as with Cody. I would walk through a fire for Cody. He can turn my world upside down with just a simple smile on his face.

While Jamie is completely different. Jamie has become sort of a mentor to me in gay teen life. He's taught me a lot more than how friends kiss. He's also taken me to a few gay teen events here in New York, events I'd never even heard of before I came out. Jamie is my first openly gay friend, outside of my boyfriend, so that automatically makes him special. With Jamie, I'm totally comfortable being myself, which is the main reason I've been hanging out with him so much lately.

Yet between Jamie and Cody, I would always choose Cody. But I can't ignore the fact that I haven't heard a single thing from Cody for a week now. How can I be sure that we even have a relationship left to work on?

All these ramblings and my siblings' assumptions about Jamie are pushing me to reconsider Jamie as a possible boyfriend. Normally thoughts like this would make me cry, but this time they don't. This time I actually feel comfortable with the thought of dating someone else. Cody's face doesn't even float through my head now, just images of a future for Jamie and me.

So Alex and Justin are in fact right. I _shouldn't_ be pining for Cody. I should let just Cody go, move on and explore my options with Jamie. Maybe I can ask him out to that New York Gay Film Festival that starts tonight in Chelsea. So far, he's been the one asking me out to gay teen events, so asking him out would be a major step for me. Even if I just want to see if a future for me and Jamie as a couple is actually possible.

Perhaps I am ready to take that huge step in my life. It's not like this long distance relationship with Cody will miraculously start to work out.

"You know… you guys might be right. Maybe I should move on," I announce to my brother and sister, still feeling a little hesitant.

"Are you sure, Max?" Justin questions me. "I mean, we don't want to force you into doing something you're not ready for."

"Oh shut up, Justin. Of course he's ready. Don't you want our little brother to be happy?" Alex declares.

"All I'm saying is…" Justin starts to say, but I interfere quickly because I don't want another brother-sister fight to flare up. Certainly not one about my love life.

"Guys! Shut up both you!" I yell. "Of course I'm not sure about it. I'm not sure about anything right now. But still, I am going to ask Jamie out to the Gay Film Festival."

There! I said it! I made my decision… Cody is already slipping away, and I owe it myself to see if things can work out with Jamie. Damn, I hope I'm making the right decision and not doing something stupid. Because I still know that deep down inside I love Cody more than anything else. I love him more than I'll ever be able to love Jamie. But trying to stay together long distance just isn't working…

I receive a few pats on the back from both Justin and Alex before I go downstairs to the sub shop. After all, my shift is about to start, and besides that I need to ask Mom and Dad for permission to go out with Jamie tonight.

"Hey, Dad!" I call out.

"Oh, hey Max. You're a bit early for your shift, son. It doesn't start for another fifteen minutes."

"Yeah I know, but I wanted to ask something."

"Sure, go ahead, son. As long as it doesn't concern magic and the _S.S. Tipton_," Dad warns me.

Why does he have to bring up the ship? Now I'm even less sure if I'm doing the right thing. But whatever, I'm going to go through with this.

"Not really. I want to ask Jamie out to the Gay Film Festival tonight. If that's OK with you and Mom?"

"Jamie, eh? Well, yeah, I guess so…" he says with a rather odd look on his face. "Right, Theresa?"

"Um, sure go ahead, Maxie," Mom, who is passing by, answers.

"Thanks! I'm going to call him right away," I say in a tone of forced happiness, but I grab my cellphone nonetheless.

Before I start making the call that will change my life again, I see Dad putting his arm around Mom while they're still watching me. I shrug my shoulders and turn away from them, facing the bar.

I scroll to Jamie's number on my cellphone. Anxiously I wait for him to answer. Until I suddenly hear someone behind my back.

"Hey, Max!"

I'm turning around to show this person I'm on the phone when I realize I know this voice. In fact, I know this voice very well. It can't be that I'm hearing it here, at this very moment. When I see who is indeed standing there, the phone just slips out of my hands and falls onto the floor.

"Zack…"

* * *

_**Author's Note: **__Poor Max! This long distance relationship with Cody has been way too hard on him. No news from Cody, his family who is constantly saying he should move on… It has been torture for him. He finally made a choice, but is it the right one? And what is Zack doing in New York?_

_Max's friend Jamie is played by the 16 year old actor, Jansen Panettiere. So you have an idea how this guy looks. _

_As my last note here, I would like to thank the amazing and charming Elianna22 for editing and pointing out a rather important cultural difference between Northern America and Europe._


	8. With A Little Help From Family

**Chapter 8:**** With A Little Help From Family

* * *

**

No!!! Why is Zack here? Why right now? Just seeing him reminds me of his brother, my boyfriend. It also makes me remember how much I love Cody. Right before I was about to call Jamie…

Oh my god! I was going to ask Jamie out! I almost cheated on my perfect boyfriend! Cody will never forgive me for this… Seeing Zack brings back so many memories of the few days Cody and I spent as boyfriends. And how much Cody means to me, how much I love him more than anyone in the world. I realize now there is no way I'll ever be able to be have anyone but Cody as a boyfriend. Jamie could never have made me as happy as Cody makes me.

I'm not sure I'll be able to forgive myself for what I almost did. Just thinking about my betrayal brings tears to my eyes. I try to wipe them away before Zack sees them.

"Is something wrong, Max? Aren't you happy to see me?" Apparently Zack has noticed my upset expression.

"No, of course not. I just… I mean… I…" This is so stupid! I take a breath and try again. "No, I'm happy to see you, Zack. But what are you doing here?"

"It's about Cody," he explains.

Of course it's about Cody. Why else would he be here? I hope Cody's not trying to break up with me. But I'm pretty sure he isn't. Although I would deserve nothing more than for him to dump me, Cody still would never send his twin to tell me the bad news. If he really wanted to break up with me, he would do it in person.

"Can we talk somewhere, Max?" Zack asks me in a solemn tone. "It's really important."

"Um… sure," I answer, wondering what this is about. I'm not used to Zack being that serious. "Let me ask Dad first, since my shift is about to start."

"Okay, I'll wait for you over there." Zack points to an empty table. "And um Max, while you're there, can you make me a sandwich?"

I nod and walk over to my dad to ask for permission to start work a little bit later. Fortunately he understands that I really need to talk to Zack right now and says it's okay. I quickly grab a sandwich for Zack and pick up my cellphone, which is still lying where I dropped it when Zack showed up. Before putting it away, I notice I have a text message from Jamie. He's probably wondering why I called him and then didn't say anything. I guess I'll read and reply later, once I know what Zack wants from me.

After I give Zack his sandwich, I sit down next to him and look at him questioning, but he seems to be too hungry to explain himself. So I let him eat his sandwich first and wait expectantly for him to tell me why he's come all the way to New York. Since I thought he and Cody were still on the ship, seeing him here is pretty out of the ordinary.

While Zack is finishing his sandwich, I read Jamie's text quickly. He was indeed asking why I called him and if I could call him back. I can let him know soon enough because Zack is finally done eating and ready to start explaining everything to me.

"Come on, Zack, why are you here?" I just need to know, and fast!

"I'm coming to save your relationship!" he smirks.

"What?! What the hell are you talking about?"

"Your long distance relationship with Cody isn't going as planned; you must have realized that, too. And I'm here to help the both of you make it work."

That's not really news to me, of course. Long distance is definitely not working out. That's why I almost went out with Jamie in the first place. But I wonder what he meant by helping us out? What can _he_ do for us? The problem is that I'm in New York and Cody's on the ocean.

"How? And how did you get here in the first place? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere on the ocean?"

"No, not really… We were called back home for a family emergency. Didn't Cody tell you?"

"No, what happened? Is something wrong with your mom?"

"She's OK, don't worry about her. It's our aunt who died, so we had to go to her funeral." Zack pronounces it "ahnt" with a typical Boston accent.

So maybe _that's_ why I didn't hear from Cody all week —the unplanned trip back to Boston! And maybe he doesn't have a computer at the Tipton, or Internet access, or something. I might have been a bit too fast jumping to conclusions.

"Oh my god!" I exclaim, feeling pangs of sympathy for my bereaved boyfriend. "Was she close to you guys?"

"No, not really. She and Mom had some fights in the past, so we didn't see her a lot. I think it's been almost ten years since we saw last her. But still, a death in the family is always hard and our mom is pretty upset."

"I'm sorry," I respond, looking to the floor. "But why are you here now?"

"Yeah, well… to surprise Cody! We had to leave the ship in a hurry, and basically didn't have time to pack all our stuff, including our cellphone chargers and laptops. Cody has been down ever since the funeral. I think the combination of our aunt's death and not being able to contact you is really hard on my brother."

Okay, here comes the guilty feeling again… I was so stupid to think Cody stopped emailing me 'cause he didn't want to be with me anymore. But now it turns out that's not true. And I almost cheated on Cody with Jamie! Why did I have to listen to Alex and Justin? For once they didn't ignore me, didn't neglect me. No, they finally seemed to care about how I feel. Except that now their advice almost screwed everything up for me. Isn't it ironic?

"And now all he does is mope around all day and cry. Yesterday I'd had enough so I decided to help my little brother by making him forget about the funeral and getting his boyfriend to visit him at the same time," Zack continues.

I nod to confirm he can go on with his story. But inside, I'm shedding tears myself. It really hurts knowing that Cody is feeling that bad. It's nothing compared to how I've been feeling the past week. I wish I could have been there for my boyfriend when he had to go to that funeral! But thanks to Zack, at least I'll be able to comfort him.

I have to admit, though, that it's very sweet of Zack to think about his brother's happiness so much. I still remember the shocked guy who spilled his smoothie over Justin when Cody announced we were boyfriends. This Zack seems like a totally different guy; he must be the best brother Cody could wish for.

"Mom and I got together and decided to surprise Cody by setting up a date for you and him. Mom is in charge of the date itself, while I'm responsible for getting you to Boston."

"Your mom?"

"Yeah, she said it would take her mind off losing her sister."

I'm perplexed. Zack has done many nice things for us in the past. Like setting up our first date together and being our waiter at that same date for example. But what he has planned now is really impressive. I think he may be right. This could be just the thing to save my relationship with Cody.

"Anyhow… Max, want to come with me and be Cody's knight in shining armour?"

"Of course I will!" I don't even have to think about that. "I gotta ask Dad first, though. If you don't mind?"

"Not at all, go ahead, dude."

I sprint over to my dad, who has just finished serving a customer. Before I can ask him anything, I'm jumping up and down with excitement. I'm going to see Cody again!

"Whoa there, Max, stop jumping around like that!" Dad exclaims when he sees me. "What's gotten into you?"

"Nothing… Dad, Zack asked me to come back to Boston with him to visit Cody. Their aunt just died and Cody's really upset. I want to be there for him, I think he really needs me right now. So is it OK with you if I go? Can I, please, please, please?" I keep rambling on.

"Easy there, son. Yeah, you can go if it's OK with your mother, too," Dad replies, searching out Mom to see if she'll give me permission.

I look at Mom straight away with pleading puppy dog eyes to make sure she'll agree.

"Sure, Maxie, you can go," she consents. "I think it's wonderful that you want to be there for Cody at a difficult time, and I'm so glad you've cheered up. It really hurt to see my baby so sad," Mom adds before she pulls me into a hug.

When I finally release myself from my mom, who practically strangles me with this hug, I want to get over to Zack to leave for Boston as soon as possible. But before I can do that, Dad grabs me by my arm and pulls me into the sandwich making area so we can have a quiet conversation.

"Um son… You can visit Cody for now, but we have to discuss some things. I'll come pick you up in Boston tomorrow, together with Justin. That is, if you want to go through with this thing with Cody, of course," Dad explains to me.

"Of course I want to," I exclaim. There is no doubt for me anymore: staying with Cody is worth it, and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make this relationship last.

"You really are sure, Max? Only a few minutes ago you wanted to ask Jamie out and now it's Cody again?"

And there is the doubt again. But this time I quickly shrug away those thoughts. It's Cody who I want as boyfriend, not Jamie. But I don't want to lose Jamie as a friend either. I definitely need to call him to tell him I won't be able to go to the Gay Film Festival. And to make sure we're still friends, even though I'm choosing to stay with Cody.

"You don't have to answer that, son. Just go to see Cody now. Justin and I will be there tomorrow. If you're definitely sure Cody is your guy, we can work something out for the two of you. Because this long distance relationship is obviously not working."

Yes, we've established this by now. I have to admit, I'm a little curious how we can solve the situation without using magic. But I guess I'll find out later. Now I just want to get to Cody as soon as possible. But first I have to call my best friend.

"That's OK, Dad. I'll be waiting for you," I reply. "I guess I'll be off with Zack, after I go pack my bag and call Jamie."

Dad nods in agreement, and maybe even a little bit of pride, as he goes to the counter again, while I grab my cellphone and try to call Jamie for the second time today.

"Hey, Jamie," I say when he answers.

"Oh, hey Max! So, why did you call me before?"

"Um, nothing really. I just wanted to tell you I can't make it to the film festival today."

"OK… but I didn't know we were going?"

Damn! He's right about that, we didn't actually make plans to go. This is slightly awkward…

"Well, no, but… look Jamie, I'm going to visit Cody in Boston," I tell my friend.

"Cody? You heard back from him at last?"

"Yeah. His twin is taking me to Boston for a romantic date with Cody."

"Oh… Um… That's… awesome, Max," Jamie manages to reply. It's so obvious he's just trying to be a good friend. But he must feel really bad on the inside.

"Yeah… So I won't be here this weekend…"

"That's OK, Max," Jamie replies, but I can hear the sadness in his voice. I feel pretty bad for him. This guy is not only my best friend, but it's clear now that he really did like me as more than a friend. I just hope we will still be friends after this phone call.

"So, we're still friends, right, Jamie? Even though Cody is my boyfriend?"

"Of course. Why not? This doesn't change anything for us. You know that, and anyway, buddy, you've always been up front about having a boyfriend."

I have to confess my respect for Jamie as a person has never been this big before. This whole situation must be awful for him. He must be aware that I know he has feelings for me, which makes it even harder for him. Because I've basically just told him that he has no chance with me, ever. Given that he's being so understanding, I guess Jamie is what you would call a true friend.

"Thanks, man!" I tell him. "And I'm really sorry, Jamie, but Cody is… well, he's just…"

"I know. He's your true love. Now don't be sorry and just go after your boyfriend. You should be in Boston already, dude!" Jamie responds, sounding a bit more confident now.

"Haha, I will. C ya later, man!"

"C ya! And be sure to let me know how it went, Max!" he says before ending the call.

I have to say, I'm very relieved Jamie still wants to be my friend and took the news about Cody pretty well. Although I'm afraid he's bawling his eyes out over me now. But as bad as I feel for him, I also have to do what he told me: get to Cody as fast as possible! So I run upstairs, grab my sports bag, throw some clothes in and dash back down to where Zack is waiting for me.

So this is it, I'm off to finally see Cody again. I quickly wave good-bye to my parents and pull the older twin out of the sub shop with me. Outside, Zack assumes control and takes me to where he left the car. Well, where his chauffeur – Maddie, I think it was – is waiting for him. When we reach this Maddie, we jump into the car right away, wasting no time on chitchat. We have a four-hour ride ahead of us in which to get to know each other.

During the ride, it's mainly me and Zack chatting while he tells me about some of the mischievous things he has done at the Tipton, often involving his little brother but mostly his own fault. I also learn about Zack's long-time crush on Maddie. It must have been a funny sight — a twelve-year-old Zack trying to impress a fifteen-year-old girl. While everybody around him knew how hopeless it was. Cute.

As we ride on, our conversation slides to the one topic I'd rather avoid: my strange reaction and almost bursting into tears when I saw Zack standing there in our shop. I knew this was going to come up sooner or later, but I hoped it would be later. I did fix everything with Jamie, but I'm still worried about how Cody could react to this. And Zack, too. He might think I'm a jerk for wanting to cheat on Cody. I can still remember him warning me never to hurt his baby brother.

But Zack seems to think the whole situation is pretty amusing. Because after I explained how I almost went out on a date with Jamie, he starts chuckling, which boggles my mind. How can he be so casual about this? It is a major deal for me, and all he does is laugh? I don't understand this.

"Zack? Why are you laughing? Aren't you mad or something?"

"No, not at all. Come on, dude, it's not like you actually went out with him or anything. You just were exploring your options. And only because my little brother was experiencing technical difficulties," Zack clarifies for me. "I would have been furious if you'd actually found another boyfriend, but this? Nah, it's nothing."

"Really? I feel like I betrayed Cody's trust by even thinking about going out with Jamie," I confess.

"Max, we're men; we can't control ourselves, I totally understand," he exclaims. "I wouldn't tell Cody right away, though. He's kind of emotional now, and he's always so sensitive. He could take it the wrong way."

"But I don't want to lie to Cody!"

"Just tell him later. Sometimes it's better not to tell the truth straight away. Take that from someone who has experience with this stuff, my dear brother-in-law," Zack advises with a smirk.

"Okay, I'll do that," I respond, glad all of this is apparently not an issue for Zack. And I have to say, being called brother-in-law is pretty funny. There is no way we're already on that path in our relationship. But it's nice Zack did call me that. It shows he really believes in Cody and me.

Believe it or not, I'm going to take his advice and not tell Cody yet. I don't want to risk having a fight over this when we can finally meet up again after these long weeks.

Relieved that Zack has taken away all my fears about Jamie and me, I go back to making small talk with both Zack and Maddie. Zack tells more stories of the crazy stuff they did back at the Tipton Hotel. Cody told me some of these tales before, but now it appears that a lot more shenanigans happened around there.

Lost in all this chitchat, we barely notice when we finally arrive in Boston after almost four hours. Only a few more minutes and we'll be able to see the Tipton Hotel where my boyfriend is waiting. I'm getting very nervous at the prospect of seeing him again; shivering and feeling my body sweat all over. It's almost exactly like when we first met, back on the ship.

"Really, Max?" Zack smirks when he sees the state I'm in. "You don't have to be this nervous. It's only Cody you're going to visit. He's already crazy about you, so there's no need to worry about that."

Once again Zack seems to have found the right words to calm me down. It's amazing how this guy can manage that by just saying something stupid. It's a bit odd, but it seems to me that Zack and I are very much alike when it comes to stuff like that.

And there it is, at last: the Boston Tipton Hotel, the spot where I'll be face to face with my boyfriend again. As soon as the car is parked, Zack and I jump out and run over to the doors. Inside it's Zack who leads me through the hotel.

Until we stop in front of a closed door. A door that, I guess, leads to the room where I will get to see Cody again. Before I can ask Zack if this is the case, he grabs his cellphone and makes a quick call. By the looks of it, everything is OK because Zack puts his cellphone away and grabs me by my arm.

"Well, Max, this is it. Just open this door and step inside," Zack orders, giving me a small push.

At the exact same moment I walk into the room, I see someone doing the same on the other side. I get a better look and… it's him! It's Cody! I finally see Cody standing in front of me, in real life. I can't believe this! And by the looks of him, neither can Cody. He's standing there as stunned as I am.

"MAX!"

"CODY!"

We both run towards one another and pull each other into a firm hug when we meet somewhere in the middle of the room. Before either of us is able to say something, we lean in to one another so our lips can meet. Soon we're entangled in a very passionate kiss. And I mean _really_ passionate, 'cause this is a feeling we have been missing for about four weeks. Now that I remember how it feels to kiss my incredible boyfriend, I'm dead sure I never want to miss this sensation again.

After quite a long time we decide to break our kiss and turn to the two people who brought us together. Before I can thank Zack for bringing me here, Cody gives me a small kiss on my cheek and exclaims,

"O Maxie, I missed you so much! How did you get here?"

Again I'm interrupted before I even can say something. This time it's the other twin who stops me.

"I brought him here, bro. Well, Maddie drove, of course."

"You, Zack? You did this? You brought Max to Boston?" Cody asks his twin, full of disbelief.

"Yeah. To be honest, I and Mom organized this. We couldn't stand seeing you so sad, so we decided to surprise you by bringing your boyfriend here. I had to get Max while Mom took care of the dinner," Zack explains to his younger twin, who is staring dumbfounded at him.

"I… I… I don't know what to say, Zack."

"Then don't say anything, bro. You're my baby brother; I can't stand it when you're being that sad."

"Thanks," Cody manages to bring out before he pulls his brother into a hug.

"Really, Cody, it's nothing. That's what twins are for after all," Zack mumbles. "But hey, don't waste your time hugging me. You have a boyfriend standing there. And Mom arranged a romantic dinner for you."

That seems to be the signal for Cody to break this display of brotherly love. He grabs my hand and walks with me over to the table.

"Mom? You prepared this for me?" Cody asks his mother before he sits himself down.

"Yes, just like your brother said, I couldn't stand seeing my baby sad. So we did this for you," his mother says. "And when you guys are done, you can bring him up to the suite. Zack will make up a bed for Max in your room so he can spend the night here. But for now, have fun on your date, sweetie."

With those last words both Zack and his mother disappear from the room. Cody and I sit down at the nicely decorated table and get treated almost immediately to the first dish of this surprise menu Cody's family has chosen for us.

The whole setting here reminds me a lot of the dinner I organized for Cody a month ago when we were celebrating our first day as a couple. Even the dishes are pretty similar. The seafood medley is almost identical. OK, true enough, the chicken was a little different. It was called "Chicken française" on the ship, while the dish is named "Chicken Paolo" here. But to be honest, that's the only difference. The crepes a la mode show this even more. The flavour is exactly the same as the ones we had back on the ship. Not only that, they even look the same. I guess once you've had dinner in one Tipton, you've had dinner in them all.

But this weird coincidence also has a much more significant meaning for us. The first time we had a romantic dinner, it was meant to honour the start of us as a couple. While the second time we have practically the same dinner, it symbolizes the restart of our relationship after this difficult period apart. It's obvious this particular menu means something more to us now than just a delicious meal.

During the evening we talk about almost everything. We avoid talking about his aunt, though. I have a feeling he's not ready for that yet. I don't know how I know that, it just feels like that. I can't explain it, but somehow I think it's better if we don't talk about the death at all and just focus on this happy occasion.

It's almost like we haven't spoken each other for months. While in reality, the last video conversation was only a week ago. Although video isn't the same as seeing Cody in person. Now we can be affectionate with each other again. It goes without saying we take more than a lot of advantage of this opportunity to hug, kiss and just enjoy being close to each other again.

Throughout the evening we also discuss what we both have been doing the last month, and especially the last week. Since I never talked about Jamie to Cody, I mention him as my only gay friend, one who has acted like my mentor. Recalling Zack's warning, I don't talk about how I nearly asked him out or how cute he is. As far as Cody knows, Jamie is my best friend and nothing more. I have to admit, I feel a bit bad hiding this from my loved one, but I think Zack had the right idea. This is not the best moment to talk about that. Maybe later…

Although both of us want this evening to go on forever, the time to go back to Cody's suite comes way too quickly for us. But since we have no choice once the waiter comes in to clear away the plates and table, we make our way to the elevator and go up to the 23rd floor where their suite is located. When we arrive at the door of Suite 2330, Cody stops me and turns me to him so that we are standing face to face.

"Cody?"

"There is something I really need to tell you, Maxie," Cody says, an expression of pure seriousness on his face.

"There is? What's wrong, sweetie?"

"Nothing's wrong, Maxie. It's totally the opposite; I want to thank you for being here. Thanks to you, I haven't thought about my poor auntie all evening."

"That's OK, that's what boyfriends are for."

"There is something else too… Today has been the best day since you left to go back to New York. Four weeks of being on the ship or sitting here in my room without you have been agony and made me realize something. I… I don't want to be without you, I can't miss you anymore. I… I… I love you, Maxie."

"I love you too, sweetie! I love you so so so so much!" I exclaim before I pull my boyfriend into a hug that flows into the kiss of a lifetime. There are no words to describe how happy I'm feeling right now. This is the first time Cody has ever said the l-word to me. I can feel it came from deep down his heart. Knowing we both feel the same about one another, I give everything into this fantastic kiss.

Being caught up in our kiss like that, neither of us hears the sound of the door opening. We don't even notice someone is standing there, looking at us until we hear a cough.

When we hear that, we automatically break our kiss and jump away from each other. Only to see it's just Zack.

"Zack!!" we both scream together.

"Hey Cody, hey Max, how are you guys?" Zack asks, trying to hide a smirk but not succeeding. "Oh wait, I just saw that!"

"Zack!" Cody exclaims, turning redder than I've ever seen him.

"Oh come on, I'm just happy to see you two being so in love," the older twin chuckles. "But it's getting late and Mom's nagging me to go to bed already."

And so we walk into the suite, say good night to their mom and head to the bedroom, where I see a mattress on the floor, which I guess will serve as a bed for me. It's been a long day for both me and Cody – and Zack as well – so we get into bed and fall asleep right away.

When I wake up the next day, I feel a bit disoriented at first. This doesn't quite feel like I'm in my own bed. I look around to see a strange environment I don't recognize at first. There are two beds, besides my mattress, in this room. In one there is someone still fast asleep. While in the other one I discover my boyfriend staring at me with a loving gaze.

At that moment I remember everything that happened yesterday. I'm at Cody's home in Boston and we're still a couple! Happily I get out of bed, throw myself onto my beloved's bed to give him a 'good morning' hug and kiss.

Unfortunately for us, Zack interrupts us yet again. He seems to have a habit of always being the one who catches us all over each other. Must be pretty disturbing for him to be woken up by the sounds of his twin brother making out with his boyfriend. But hey, we can't help it, we're in love.

Anyhow, since we don't want to traumatize the older twin even more, we get dressed and go make some sandwiches for breakfast. We don't spend much time eating, since we'd rather get out of the suite as soon as possible to hang out at the park across from the Tipton Hotel. After all, the weather is very nice today, so why not spend the day outside?

Besides that, I have to spend as much time as possible with my boyfriend. After all, Dad and Justin are going to show up at some point to take me back to New York with them. If I remember it correctly, Dad also said he wanted to discuss some stuff with me, if I was sure I wanted to stay with Cody. It's crystal clear now for the both of us we want to be together in the future, too. Neither of us wants to end this now.

When we arrive at the park, I recognize the faces of two people sitting on a bench. Apparently Dad and Justin are already here. I was hoping this moment wouldn't come so soon this morning, but seeing as we have no choice, Cody and I walk over to them.

"Hey Dad! Justin!" I greet them.

"Hey, son, Cody," Dad replies, giving my boyfriend a brief nod. "Did you have fun yesterday, Max?"

"Sure did. It was awesome! One of the best days of my life," I state and give Cody a small kiss on the cheek.

"Glad you enjoyed yourself, son. Have you thought about what I asked you yesterday?"

"Yeah, and the answer is yes, I do."

"Really? You're sure, Max?" Dad questions me again. It seems he wants to be absolutely sure I mean it this time.

"Totally serious, Dad. Cody and I are meant for each other, we love each other. I don't want to keep on being separated from him."

I take a look at my right where Cody is standing, holding my hand and see he's blushing a little, but nodding anyway. He's quiet for a while, like he's not ready to say anything, but then he opens his mouth and begins to speak.

"Max is right, Mr. Russo. I love him with all my heart," Cody declares, proudly holding my hand. "And I don't want to be separated from Max either. He's the most important person in my life right now."

Dad sighs a little, and I'm afraid he's going to bring up Jamie again to determine whether I am truly certain about Cody. Thankfully he doesn't go that way but takes a deep breath and speaks up.

"Well then, I guess we have some things to settle, son. Would you mind to um…?" He makes some strange moves with his head in Cody's direction as though he wants to get him out of here. I think I know what Dad means.

"Dad, it's OK. Cody already knows I'm a wizard. I felt my boyfriend had the right to know. After all relationships are built on trust." At this, I receive a small kiss on the cheek from Cody.

"You did what?! I… Max… How… Oh damn! You could have at least talked to me or your mother before telling him!" Dad seems pretty flustered.

I shrug my shoulders to show I don't really care. Cody is more important to me than this rule, even if it upsets my dad. But I have a feeling he isn't quite as angry as I expected him to be. Judging from the look on his face, he's even a bit proud of me. I guess that makes sense since Dad is the one who gave up his magic powers to marry Mom. To be honest, I never really understood why he did that, but now I completely understand. This must be how Dad felt toward Mom when he made the fateful decision.

"Well then, so be it… This makes the arrangement we had in mind a little bit easier though. Max, your mother and I have been talking and we agree this relationship is a good thing for you and we want you to be happy. So we've talked to that Mr. Moseby and managed to enrol you for the next school year at Seven Seas High."

My eyes almost pop out of my head when I hear him say this. I'm speechless: me, on the ship with Cody? For a whole year? Sweet!

"We think the change of school might be good for you, along with Cody's help since he's such a good student. But we do expect better grades from you from now on. We know you'll be out on the ocean, but don't think we can't punish you for low grades," Dad explains to me in tone that says he means business.

I nod enthusiastically. Of course I will make sure I get good grades if it means I can spend more time with Cody.

"And what about magic training, Dad?"

"That will be a bit more complicated. But we managed to find a solution to work this out. We – well, Justin – will set up a video link so you can have the same lessons as your brother and sister. I know it's probably not the easiest plan, but at this point, it's the best solution we can think of."

I'm still speechless, grabbing Cody's hand to make sure this is not some kind of dream. But no, it isn't, this is real! The only thing I can think to do is throw myself into my dad's arms and start saying a thousand thank you's. This is so awesome! And so unexpected, too!

"Um, thanks, son. You can let go. Now don't forget you still have a few months of school in New York. So I hope this arrangement might make them a little less hard on you?"

I nod enthusiastically and, letting go of Dad, I turn to Cody and exclaim, "Cody, I'm going to be with you all year! We'll be together on the ship, and at school! I'll never have to miss you again!"

"I know! This is the best news ever! I'll help you with everything, Maxie. School, magic, whatever you need, I'll be there for you!"

The next thing we do is jump into each other's arms and share another very intense kiss.

"Come on, lovebirds, we have a lot of things to take care of before next year starts," Justin says, smirking as the four of us make our way back to the Tipton Hotel.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__With this we almost reached the end of our little love story. There will be only one more chapter after this. _

_Like always I have to thank Elianna22 for doing such an amazing job proofreading and editing. Even while she has such a busy schedule, she always manages to make time to look over to my stuff. It's highly appreciated, Ellie! :)_


	9. Epilogue: Cody's Journal

**Epilogue: Cody's Journal

* * *

**

I know, this is my first journal entry in like five or six years. But I can explain, I only just found this again. I guess it got lost when we moved in here. And all of sudden it showed up today.

So I thought I'd write an entry and maybe start writing more in my journal altogether, even though Zack used to call this whole journal thing way too girly. He might've been right, but I like writing in here despite his comments.

Anyhow, today is actually a very important day for me and Max. We are going to celebrate our ten-year anniversary as a couple. We've invited all of our friends and family for a big party at the Tipton hotel. We are expected there in a couple of hours. Everything is ready for the party, though. That's another reason I'm taking some time to write in this journal.

It's really unbelievable it's already been ten years since we got together. And I can truly say that these ten years have been absolutely amazing. Many things have happened during them; we've certainly had our ups and our downs. But one thing hasn't changed: we still love each other as much as we did during that magical first year, if not more.

In fact, I can't believe my luck when I wake up every morning with Max next to me in bed. You can never grow tired of going to sleep every night knowing that the love of your life will be right there next to you in the morning. I can't even describe the feeling.

It's astonishing, actually. Who would have thought, ten years ago, that the cute boy I helped out of that hot tub would turn out to be my one true love? If anyone had told me that at that moment, I probably would have laughed at them or called them crazy.

Now don't get me wrong. When I first saw Max caught up in some silly competition with my brother, I was amazed. I thought he was the most gorgeous human being I'd ever seen. At the time I decided to just shrug off those feelings and concentrate on wooing Bailey. Nevertheless, I did help him when his sister pushed him into the hot tub and asked Zack more about him.

It wasn't until I lost Bailey to Holden that I saw Max again. He was there to comfort me and to help me get over her. However, I don't think either of us had expected I was about to get over her that way.

Even though he was so very nervous back then, he still tried to make me feel at ease. And it worked. I don't think I'd ever been as comfortable with someone as I was with Max during that first conversation. I don't know how he did it, but he made me feel accepted and appreciated for who I am. He didn't want to change me; he even said I was perfect. At the time, having just been rejected by Bailey after the miserable failure of my six-month plan, that was exactly what I needed to hear. Nobody else had ever said that to me. Yet he did. It showed how much he really cared about me, even though we had just met.

I have to confess, I was pretty surprised when I realized Max was so much in love with me. I mean: me? Of all people, he fell in love with me? I couldn't understand that until he described his feelings for me.

It was then that I realized my own feelings for Max. Before that, I'd just thought of him as this really attractive guy, but then I realized that maybe there was more. I really liked Max a lot, enough to consider a relationship with him.

But you know me… I was scared shitless. A relationship with another guy? That was something totally unexpected! Especially since I hadn't acknowledged that I was gay at that point. I was terrified… totally afraid to take that step into the vast unknown. Even though deep inside I knew that maybe Max was the one I wanted. But I couldn't say it out loud. I was too confused.

And all the while Max was very nervous and practically in tears after he admitted that he had a huge crush on me. Maybe I should have confessed what I was feeling right away, but I was just as confused as he was.

But then suddenly it happened: we were kissing! I still have no idea if I made the first move or if Max did. I've asked him a hundred times, and he doesn't remember either. I guess it doesn't matter who leaned in first. What matters is that we both wanted it. For me that first kiss was an epiphany. It was awkward at first, but the more I got into it, the more I started to realize how much I liked the guy I was kissing.

Still I didn't say anything. I knew I liked Max, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to take that step. Looking back on it now, that was so stupid of me because my initial doubts hurt Max's feelings. The poor guy actually thought I was disgusted by him.

Of course that wasn't true, but he didn't want to believe me. So I did the only thing I could think of to show Max it didn't matter that he'd kissed me — no, that I even liked it: I kissed him again. During that kiss I finally made the decision that would change my whole life. I decided I wanted to be with Max and that I shouldn't be scared. It was time to listen to Zack's advice and take a walk on the wild side, to just go with my feelings. So I put all the passion I had into that kiss, and Max realized it too, because after that amazing kiss he asked me if I liked him back.

At first I couldn't even speak, but after a while I found the right words to express my feelings for Max. As of that moment, now ten years ago, he's been my boyfriend and I his.

How could I have known I'd just started a relationship with the love of my life? Of course I couldn't have known, I just knew I was thrilled to take a chance for once and to have Max as my boyfriend. Being with him just felt right, the way a relationship is supposed to feel. Max made me very happy, and I in turn made him very happy.

But difficult times were just around the corner. We had to out ourselves as a gay couple to the world. Even then I realized many people wouldn't approve, would even be appalled by our love for each other. And I was right. Plenty of people on the _S.S. Tipton_ looked disgustedly in our direction whenever we were affectionate with each other. But that's just how certain segments of society react to gay people. I've learned to accept that over the years.

Like I said, that wasn't really unexpected. The moment I chose to be with Max, I knew there would be challenges ahead. What I didn't expect was Dad's reaction. I never knew Dad actually had a thing against gay people. I had always assumed he would be laidback about stuff like this and would easily accept my sexual orientation. Or maybe react the way Zack did: shocked but still accepting. But no, Dad turned out to be one of those guys.

Even now I can remember the exact words Dad yelled at me after I told him Max and I were together. Thinking about them now still hurts as much as it did that day. I never knew and still don't know why Dad acted that way, but I'm glad he did quickly take those words back. However, he probably wouldn't have if Zack hadn't given him that heartfelt speech.

Anyhow, thanks to Zack, Dad realized he was in the wrong. Nevertheless it took him years to come clean about having a gay son. To be honest, I think he still isn't happy about it and wishes every time he sees me that I'd leave Max for some girl. That's just another thing I've learned to live with over the past few years. At least Dad has learned to accept Max, and even though it's clear he wishes Max was a girl, at the same time I know he really does like Max. I can't even describe how relieved I am about that because I was afraid Dad was going to blame Max for my being gay and would act coldly toward him. But he didn't, and he has made an effort to like Max. I think he feels he has to, because even though I'm gay, he still loves me.

I really owe Zack a lot for making Dad change his ways. Next to Max, he's the person who helped me the most during those first few days of being out. Except for his initial reaction, Zack has been nothing but supportive of Max and me. He's always been there to help us out, to tell people off when they behave in a homophobic manner toward us, even being the waiter for our first dinner together.

Oh, that dinner Max arranged for me! It was just amazing! He really went all out to make it the best meal possible. The whole evening was awesome and not just because of the gourmet cuisine he picked. No, the main reason that evening was the most romantic date ever was that I got to spend it together with my boyfriend. Being with him was the most important aspect for me. In fact, it still is.

Back to Zack now. No doubt the sweetest thing he ever did for me was bringing Max from New York to Boston. That's something I'll never forget and for which I will be forever grateful to my big brother. If he and Mom hadn't come up with that plan, we might have broken up and wouldn't be celebrating our tenth anniversary today.

I know, it was stupid of us to start off with a long distance relationship in the first place. Everyone advised us not to, said it would only end in hurt feelings and broken hearts. Even Zack had been against our relationship plan. Nonetheless he did nothing but support us. I have to say, things were actually going well until Zack and I went back to Boston for two weeks at the end of April when Aunt Rosie died suddenly.

The return was completely unexpected, so I hadn't brought my laptop or my cellphone battery-charger with me. Thus I wasn't able to contact Max and that was pretty upsetting for me at such a stressful time. I was down that whole week, which drove my brother nuts to the point where he felt he had to do something and organized a surprise date for me, bringing Max all the way from New York.

It was during that date I finally realized how much I felt for Max. I mean, I knew I liked him a lot and was falling for him. But during that month I missed my boyfriend so much and was so relieved when I saw him; it felt like the piece of me that had been missing was finally there. At that moment I realized I was in love with Max, that he might even be my true love, and that I didn't want to be separated from him again.

But though I had finally, completely, opened my heart to Max, I knew we still had that same issue to deal with — being in a long distance relationship for several more months. Fortunately, when Maxie's dad came to pick him up the next day, he gave us some very exciting news. Apparently his parents had enrolled him in Seven Seas High, proving that they understood our relationship was doomed to fail if we stayed apart and showing that they truly supported us being together.

Since Max had promised his parents to earn better grades while on the _S.S. Tipton_ with me, I helped him out a lot — and with great results! At the end of the semester Maxie showed everyone that I had been right from the beginning, that he was much smarter than people thought, especially his family. He may not have been A plus material, but B's and an occasional A minus were possible for him, although he did get some C's too. Anyway, Max did really well in school, making both his parents and me very proud.

Writing this down brings back the memory of when Max got his first report card. Seconds after getting it from Ms. Tutweiller, he was there jumping up and down in front of me.

"Max, what are you doing?" I asked him, knowing he'd just received his grades.

"I got my report card! Guess how I did?"

"I don't know, average I guess." I didn't want to put too much pressure on him with overly high expectations.

"Not really, I got all B's! Also one C and one A!" He wrapped his arms around me as he said this.

"You did? That's amazing, Maxie! You're the best!" I had known Max was capable of doing better, but I hadn't expected him to do so well already.

"Thanks to your help, sweetie," he answered and kissed me again. He was so grateful to me for helping him realize that he really is smart. I in return was proud of him for proving everyone wrong.

There was one other thing Max needed to work on, though. Namely his magic training. Yeah, magic training… my boyfriend is a wizard alright. When Max first told me that, I couldn't believe it, but then he showed me some magic, proving that he was indeed a wizard. It was a very shocking discovery for me, but I learned to live with it. After all, Max can do amazingly cool stuff with his wizard spells!

And I even helped my Maxie out with studying magic. That was far from easy for me, but I felt like it was something I had to do for him. He really needed all the help he could get. I never dared to tell him, but he was way behind compared to Justin and Alex. If we hadn't worked so hard on all those spells, he never would have been able to cream them in the family Wizard Competition.

And he did really cream them. Yes, Max won the Wizard Competition, even though nobody, except me, believed he would. Even his dad told me, while we were waiting for the final results, that Max only joined in the competition because he had to.

"Really? You don't think Max has any chance? He's worked very hard for this," I reacted. I couldn't believe Jerry didn't believe in his youngest son one bit.

"Don't get me wrong, Cody. Max has almost caught up with Alex and Justin, but he's no competition for them. Justin knows every spell known to wizard-kind, while Alex uses her magic intuitively. Max, though, he… he just isn't as smart as Justin, or as natural with magic as Alex."

"Well, I believe in Max! And I know he can win, too!"

I really did, not just because it was my duty as a boyfriend, but because I knew he could be the victor. He had put in a lot of effort, just for this moment, and his will to beat his brother and sister really helped push his motivation to the peak. Thus, in the end Max beat all the odds and he was the one who walked out as a full wizard, while Justin and Alex were now "normal" people.

I still remember how stupefied Jerry and Theresa looked when they realized Max had won, showing their complete lack of faith in him, and according to both Justin and Alex, he beat them fair and square, proving that he was truly the best. I can't even describe how proud I was of my Maxie that day. He succeeded at something nobody had expected of him and I can only imagine how overjoyed it made him to finally be the best at something.

There is a major downside to being the Family Wizard, though. Both Max and I had known for a long time beforehand that we would never be able to get married if Max became the Family Wizard because if wizards choose to marry a mortal, they have to pass on their powers to a sibling. After some long discussions, we decided not to marry. I knew how important magic was for Max; I didn't want him to give that up for me. Even though I would have loved to marry my loved one, I was prepared to give that dream up for Max. I won't lie that it caused me great pain, but I realized that in the end we don't need to be married to know that we love each other and that we will do so forever.

However, the biggest obstacle to our future together is actually the Wizard Council. They are very conservative and being gay isn't tolerated at all for a wizard! This means Max could lose his powers if they find out he is in a same-sex relationship. Right from the start we knew that we couldn't let that happen! There was no way we would break up because some fascist council said Max was not allowed to love me if he wanted to be a full wizard. And Max couldn't give up his powers. That would mean letting the bastards win.

Max's family totally agreed that we didn't have to give in to them. Even his Uncle Kelbo, the Russo Family Wizard of the previous generation, thought it was outrageous, but nobody could change the council's mind. Luckily Max thought of a plan to fool the council.

His plan was simple. Every time the Wizard Council visited us – and they don't visit a lot – he would just turn me into a girl. I didn't like that idea, and I still don't, but it's the only possible solution we have. Strangely enough, the plan has worked so far. The council members have warned us that since I'm a mortal we can't get married or have children, but as I said before, I've made peace with this reality and so I let Max magically turn me into a girl whenever the conservative bastards visit us. We've only seen them twice so far, and both times they were convinced by our scheme.

That reminds me of something. I didn't write about our house yet, did I?

No, apparently I didn't.

Well, Max and I have bought a nice house in the suburbs of Boston. We had a long discussion about where we wanted to live. Max really likes New York and his friends there, but Boston is just a lot cheaper, so we ended up here in a nice big house.

In fact, it's the kind of house you would never be able to afford when you're 26. But yet we do.

Being a full wizard, Max has some magical means to generate money. I don't know how he does it, and I don't need to know either. All that matters is that Max makes enough money — enough for the both of us, to be honest. But I don't want to live on just magic money. I need to pay my own way.

Nonetheless, I won't deny graduating from law school is a bit easier when your boyfriend has enough money to pay the outrageous tuition fees. After finishing my articling stint, I got a position as an associate at a mid-size firm with an office here in Boston. So far I'm happy with my job, and I make good money!

Ultimately, my dream is to start my own law firm, which I plan to do with Bailey. Yeah Bailey, my high school crush. We both went to Boston University for law school and were called to the bar at the same time. She works at another firm downtown, but we talk a lot and share the same dream.

Speaking of which, besides Zack, Bailey was also hugely supportive of me and Max on the _S.S. Tipton,_ and she's been a great friend ever since. We hung out a lot together since we share plenty of common interests, mostly stuff Max doesn't like, and in return he hung out with his friends doing stuff that didn't interest me at all. But that's OK; we don't have to share every hobby to be in love. That's what best friends are for, after all.

Bailey was also the first non-family member I told about me and Max. It was the morning after our romantic dinner together and maybe due to that, I couldn't keep us a secret any longer. I had to tell somebody about my amazing boyfriend, so I went out to look for Bailey and when I had found her, I was very excited to tell her the news.

"Hey Cody, what's up? You look totally ecstatic, what happened?"

"Bailey! I'm dating someone!" I exclaimed joyfully. That was not really how I wanted to announce Max and me, but back then it was the only thing I managed to say.

"Oh yeah, I saw him yesterday. He seems like a nice guy."

"You already know Max? But how?" I asked Bailey. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't been the one to tell her. On the other hand, she was smiling and seemed totally laidback about me having a boyfriend.

"I saw him at the smoothie bar yesterday and Zack introduced him as your boyfriend. Oh Cody, I'm so happy you found someone. And such a sweet guy, too."

"Thanks! Max is pretty amazing, yeah. But you're okay with me dating a guy?"

"Of course I am. It was a bit of a surprise to me, but I guess if you're happy who would I be to judge you for that?" Bailey said before she pulled me into a hug. From that moment on, our friendship became even stronger before, this time without my awkward crush on her coming between us.

And now Bailey is actually our neighbour! How cool is that? She rented the house on our right. In fact, I was a bit surprised she moved from Kansas all the way to Boston. But her boyfriend convinced her to do so. I guess love will make you do anything. Then again… I'm the one who lets himself get turned into a girl to make sure my guy is able to keep his wizard powers…

Bailey has also found herself a terrific guy, a guy she loves more than anybody in the world, and oddly enough that guy happens to be my own twin brother.

Yes, Zack is with Bailey now and he really cares a lot for her. I honestly would have never thought Zack could be in a serious relationship with any girl, yet he has proven me wrong for about nine years now. Bailey is such a good influence on my brother, and he has matured quite a lot since he and Bailey started dating. I guess Bailey was who Zack needed. We could have saved each other so much time and pain if only we knew all of this when we first met Bailey.

But we didn't, and so I ended up going after Bailey, getting rejected and finding the love of my life in Max. Zack, on the other hand, never showed any feelings other than friendship toward Bailey. Needless to say he totally caught me off guard when he asked me if it was OK if he asked Bailey out.

"Sure, why wouldn't that be OK with me, Zack? But you and Bailey?"

"Yeah, I know… It's just… I really like her. But kind of feel like I'm stabbing you in the back by dating a girl you liked so much," Zack had confessed.

"Don't be silly, Zack. Why would that hurt me? I have Max now."

"So, you're really alright with me dating Bailey? Thanks a lot, bro!"

No matter how Zack had matured, I still didn't believe he would be able to hold on to a girl like Bailey. But a few weeks ago he surprised both me and Max by asking us if we were OK with him proposing to Bailey at our anniversary party, in front of our mutual family and friends. Apparently that would make things more special.

Neither Max nor I had to think about that for one second. After all Zack has done for us, how could we refuse him this?

Also it's thanks to Zack's job at the Tipton that we can celebrate our anniversary there. He works at the check-in desk, doing the job Mr. Moseby did for years, but with the new management structure, the manager no longer handles these tasks. As soon as we heard that news, Zack had applied for the job and to everyone's surprise he actually got it. So when we came to book the lounge for our party, he was able to give us a serious discount (not that we need it, with Max's secret money-making spell).

Anyway, I'm very happy for both Zack and Bailey, but still a bit confused about the whole situation. Whenever it came to marriage I was always the one who really wanted to get married, while Zack totally despised the idea of marriage. But look at us now: I can't marry the man I love, even though both of us would love to, and Zack is about to ask his girlfriend to marry him. It's like the world has turned upside down and we have switched places.

It even reminds me a bit of the marriage class we had years ago on the _S.S. Tipton_ where we were all paired up as couples for a week of fake marriage in order to teach us that this is a decision couples shouldn't take lightly. The class was still a few weeks before Zack asked Bailey out, so I ended up coupled with her and to be honest, I would have preferred to do this assignment with Max, but only boy-girl pairs were matched up. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it at the time, so Bailey and I stuck together, thinking that as best friends, we would do pretty well.

Of course the assignment turned out to be a disaster. According to Bailey I acted like a total jerk and spent more time with Max than with her, so it was no surprise that our fake wedding ended in a fake divorce before the week was over. I didn't learn much about marriage, but I did learn something about Bailey. She believes deeply in marriage, and in its significance for adding meaning to a relationship.

Just like I did at the time… but I have learned that marriage is not that important after all. Max and I love each other; that's enough for us. But not for Bailey, she really wants that special guy, so I think Zack's decision to propose to her is the right one because even though it seems to go against his nature, it would make her very happy and I'm sure we'll have another very happy couple living next to us soon.

That reminds me. I didn't mention our other neighbours yet. We are in fact surrounded by good friends. On our right we have Zack and Bailey, and on the left we have Max's best friend, Jamie.

Jamie has been Max's friend for almost ten years, too. He and Max first met when my boyfriend was about to out himself to his schoolmates. Jamie was there to help Max with everything he needed to know. Having been the only openly gay guy at their school, he taught Max a lot and was his biggest source of support during the months we had to spend apart from each other, awaiting the next school year.

When that first year together at Seven Seas High finally arrived, I was very surprised to see the same Jamie on the _S.S. Tipton_. Not only had he enrolled in our sea school, but he also got to share a cabin with Max.

At first I thought it would be nice for Max to share a cabin with his best friend since that way he wouldn't have to bunk with a stranger and would have another friend here, outside of me and Zack of course. But Max didn't agree with that. He seemed very nervous, practically terrified, when he heard he was going to bunk with Jamie.

Of course I realized there was something wrong between those two. Max really liked Jamie. He always spoke very high of him, as the guy who introduced him to many gay teen events, for example. But when they had to share a cabin, it became a very awkward situation.

After being together for a few months, I knew exactly how I could make Max tell me what was going on, even when he didn't want to.

It concerned something that happened the same week I was in Boston for Aunt Rosie's funeral, the week without communication. Max had already told me it had been very hard on him. In fact he was almost convinced that I didn't want to be with him anymore, and that led to him almost asking Jamie out on a date.

Fortunately for us, Zack had told me about this before so I wasn't that surprised or angry. Back when I heard it from Zack, I was pretty disappointed or even mad, I guess, but Max explained to me it was nothing more than considering options, just because I was unreachable and he was under a lot of pressure from his family at the time.

Thanks to Zack telling me earlier, I could react casually when Max explained this. I kept telling him it was no big deal. After all, nothing had happened and we were still in love and together. You don't have to be a psychiatrist to know this was a big relief for my boyfriend. Clearly it had been eating him on the inside for a while now.

"There is something else too. Jamie still seems to have a huge crush on me," Max told me after we hugged to make clear it was not an issue for us.

"What?" I exclaimed and looked at Max for a reaction, but he just nodded.

This was actually new for me, and a bit frightening. I was worried Jamie might make a move on Max after all and that maybe Max would give in at some point and want Jamie instead of me. I quickly shrugged away those thoughts. Max loved me! I should trust him enough not to leave me! And besides, if he wanted Jamie instead of me, he could have gone with him months ago. But Max didn't, so there was no need to worry about Jamie.

"That might be awkward for the both of you," I replied. "Does he know that you know about his crush?"

"We talked about it over the phone, right before I visited you in Boston. He obviously felt very bad, so we didn't say much about it. And we didn't talk about it later anymore at all."

"But he knows we're together, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, he always supported us, even when Justin and Alex kept telling me to move on or when I told him you were my guy."

"Well then? It didn't matter the past few months. Why should it matter now?"

"I know, but…"

"But? There is no but, Maxie. I trust you; I know nothing will happen between you and Jamie," I assured my insecure boyfriend.

I have to confess I was a little more scared than I admitted to Max back then. After all Jamie was gorgeous! Not as hot as Max, but still… So yeah, despite my assuring words for my boyfriend, I wasn't so sure of them myself.

Fortunately that fear was totally unreasonable. Nothing happened between Jamie and Max, they really were just very good friends, although I had the feeling Jamie sometimes felt awkward around Max and me, like a third wheel. It must have been agony for him seeing us as a happy couple all time.

Luckily, a few months later Jamie's suffering finally came to an end when a new, gorgeous student, called Jeremy, arrived at Seven Seas High. Much to our surprise Jeremy turned out to be gay, too. I know, what are the odds? Max, Jamie and Jeremy, the three hottest guys on the _S.S. Tipton_, all happened to be gay.

However, we didn't find out about that until we saw Jamie and Jeremy entangled in a passionate kiss. It looked like Jamie had found himself a boyfriend too, and we couldn't have been happier because he really deserved someone who cared for him as much as we do for each other. And Max finally was able to let go of his guilt for breaking Jamie's heart. On top of that, they also looked extremely cute together. Even their initials matched, so naturally it didn't take much time before everyone was calling them 'J&J'.

To be honest we'd actually expected J&J to break up pretty fast. We hoped they wouldn't, but with Jamie's crush on Max, we assumed Jeremy was nothing more than a rebound-guy for Jamie, making a break-up inevitable. But they proved us wrong: J&J are still together at this day. I even believe they might be the next married couple among friends, next to Zack and Bailey.

So yes, Jeremy is the guy living next to us together with Jamie. In fact, the house they live in is ours, too. Or Max's, as a matter of fact. As soon as he heard Jamie and Jeremy were going to move to Boston, he wanted to buy the smaller vacant house on our left for them.

Of course they both refused Max's offer at first, but after a long evening of discussion they accepted it on condition that they could pay us back in monthly chunks, like a mortgage, which was an arrangement all four of us could live with. After all, we all knew J&J needed it. At that time they couldn't afford to rent a house or an apartment themselves, since neither of them had a regular income yet.

By now Jeremy also works at the Tipton Hotel as a bellboy, but I heard from Zack that Jeremy is up for a promotion. I guess his career at the Tipton is starting to take off. His boyfriend still has no regular income, though, since becoming a writer. I have to admit he's exceptionally talented. If he saw what I've written here in my journal, I'm sure he'd disappointed in my boring, legalistic writing style. But hey, I write legal briefs all day – what can he expect?

Anyways, his debut novel has become a bestseller and now he's working on his second one. But still he always takes the time to write articles to defend gay rights in society. That boy with a huge crush on my Maxie has become an amazing person if you ask me. And one who also has an equally amazing boyfriend to share his future with.

Yep, we have some great friends for sure.

Now that I've written this whole entry, I realize how lucky I actually was to meet Max, to listen to him and to my own heart, and to decide to go with my feelings for once. It was such an un-Cody thing to do, but I have never been happier ever since I made that decision. At this point I can't even imagine what life would be like without Max.

Fortunately I don't have to. I know I will grow old with Max by my side, and that's what we will also celebrate today. Speaking of which, I guess it's time for our party since Max is standing behind me, planting kisses on my neck and cheeks. It's like he wants to tell me something. Aside from that he loves me, it can only be something like, "Come on Cody, it's time to head over to the Tipton for our party."

Yeah, that means I have to stop writing for now. There is so much more I could have written, but I guess I handled the most important things. Isn't the most important that Max and I are still going strong and love each other just as much as we did ten years ago? And I'm glad we can share this feeling with all of our friends and family today.

* * *

_**Author's Notes: **__And with this epilogue I finally complete my first story ever here! I'm kind of proud of myself now to be honest. And I hoped you all enjoyed this story._

_The biggest thank goes to Elianna22 for proofreading and editing all of this. It's amazing that with her busy work schedule and her own epic story (Repercussions 2) she still managed to find time to edit my stuff. Thank you so much, Ellie!_

_Also another solo shout out needs to go to woundedhearts who edited and proofread the first chapter of this. And of course I like to thank all who read and reviewed this story. Thank you guys, your support means a lot!_

_As last note, I'm happy to announce that "Love To The Max" will have a sequel. I'm working on ideas for that one, so don't expect it immediately, but it will be my next 'long' story. In the meantime there will be a shorter story/oneshot – also connected to this story - inspired by something Tiger and Ellie said in a discussion on the forums. Just to let you know there is plenty to look forward to from me._


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